The Truth Comes Out
by andree campbell
Summary: Stroh's disappearance has a ripple effect on the relationship between Captain Sharon Raydor and Lt. Andy Flynn. Exhaustion takes it toll and causes a very public mis-step that causes Provenza to intervene and save his partner and his boss and keep the team from splintering.
1. Ch1 - Reality Bites

_**Thanks for taking the time to read this little fanfic Shandy tale. Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.**_

* * *

A very tired Lieutenant Andy Flynn suddenly realized his huge mistake. Based on the collective gasp of his coworkers, Andy realized this wasn't one of his mini daydreams. He had acted on instinct and done what he had thought about doing for years.

Captain Sharon Raydor was floored.

She had just gone up on her toes to give Andy a quick kiss on his cheek when he turned his head and caught her lips with his. A millisecond later, his hands were gripping her forearms and holding her close. The combination of his hold on her and his mouth on hers positively froze her in position. Not three seconds later Andy was staring terror right in her big green eyes. Did he really just do this? _Oh my god_, Andy realized.

The smile on Sharon's face had disappeared. Her mouth dropped open in shock as her hands pushed his chest away. She turned and walked away as quickly as possible, just short of actually running.

"Dammit!" Andy whispered to himself as he watched Sharon race to her office and shut the door. She immediately reached for and shut the blinds in her office. The last image he had of Sharon was heartbreaking. She stared — not glared — at Andy with the most hurt expression he'd ever seen.

The entire Major Crimes team was silent. Tao's eyebrows were practically on the back of his bald head. Julio was grinning and Sykes' mouth hung open wordlessly. Provenza had both hands on the top of his head.

"What the _**hell**_ were you thinking, Flynn!" Provenza shouted. Andy jolted at the sound of his partner's angry voice.

"It was nice knowing you, Lieutenant," Julio chuckled.

Andy turned to face the rest of the team. "I…I …am…_so_ sorry, I don't know what I was…"

"Have you been drinking?" Provenza crossed the room and sniffed at Andy's chin. "Wait, don't answer that. It's your only excuse!" Provenza grabbed Andy's left arm and drove him down the hall past the break room all the while squeezing Andy's arm painfully and snarling at his partner.

"Did that just happen?" Tao asked feebly. "Seriously, what is going on?"

Julio was trying to suppress a laugh at the utter shock his teammates had. "Jeeze, I thought you people were detectives!"

Sykes' snapped her head at Julio, "What are you saying?"

Julio shook his head at Sykes. "You're telling me you didn't know Flynn had the hots for the Captain?"

Sykes frowned. "Of course I knew …I mean I _sensed_ it. I just never thought he'd lose his mind and do _that _here in the office. What do you think the Captain's going to do to him?"

Buzz piped up. "Flynn's probably going to get fired. Or suspended, I imagine.

Sykes stopped speaking at the sound of the captains office door opening. Sharon was composed and clearly unhappy judging by the icy tone of her voice as she scanned her staff.

"Lt. Flynn - where is he?" Sharon demanded calmly.

"Uh ma'am, Lt. Provenza.. uh.. escorted Lt. Flynn out of here," Julio said cautiously.

"Thank you, detective. When...if he returns would you tell him to see me in my office?"

"Yes ma'am" Julio answered sternly. Tao nodded in agreement.

Sharon spun around and returned to her office, closing the door quietly behind her. The quiet detectives starred at her office only to be caught as Sharon suddenly opened her office blinds.

Embarrassed, each detective quickly looked away and Buzz ducked back into the video room. Tao surreptitiously watched the captain as he placed the phone to his ear and dialed Provenza's cell phone.

* * *

Sharon could feel the eyes of her detectives on her. She hoped no one could see her hands shaking as she took a seat behind her desk, readjusted her glasses and opened a case file to which she studied carefully. She needed to appear as if she was now in control after the embarrassment of being kissed by a subordinate. Of course, appearances can be _deceiving._

Sharon stared at the case file not reading anything as her mind reeled. Andy had literally kissed her. On. The. Mouth. In what couldn't be labeled as just a friendly peck.

She could feel the muscles in her jaw tightening in anger. Equally angry with herself for not handling the shock better in front of her team, she still wanted to smack Andy for making a huge spectacle of their friendship and of her.

Her fingers itched to pick up the phone and call Andy to properly rip him a new one. Instead she held back. There was no way out of this. If she didn't reprimand Andy, they'd both end up in front of Assistant Chief Deputy Taylor _and _Human Resources _and possibly _FID.

* * *

"What is it, Tao?" Provenza groused into his phone. "I'm a little busy here trying to save Flynn's job and his _pension_!"

"You still with Andy? Good. Listen, the captain wants to see him right now!" Tao said harshly.

"Of course she does, Tao, so she can murder him for being so goddam stupid! Hell, it's all I can do to not kill him myself!"

"Then get him back here asap," Tao said tersely.

Provenza hung up and faced Andy who was nearly asleep in the passenger seat of Provenza's parked car.

"Wake up, asshole!" Provenza muttered angrily as he smacked Andy's arm.

"Hey!" Andy protested at the sting and rubbed his tired eyes as he tried to stifle a yawn unsuccessfully.

"I didn't mean to kiss Sharon...,"

"The hell you didn't!" Provenza barked.

"You got it wrong, Louie." Andy argued. "I was so damn tired I thought ... I didn't realize what I did.., I just reacted..."

"..and did what you wanted to do all along!" Provenza interrupted. "Do you realize what you've done? The Captain is mortified! You better explain yourself to the team and make it good cuz I am too damn old to have to deal with a new partner _or a new boss_! You get me!" Provenza's face was a dark red and looked as if he might stroke out at any moment.

"I hear you but I am not telling people I'm drunk if that's what you think," Andy retorted. "I'll just tell them the truth..."

"For christ's sake you idiot don't do that!" Provenza's hands were flailing. Make something up and right now because Tao just told me the Captain wants you to report to her office immediately."

Andy felt his stomach fall thirty floors.

* * *

The moment Andy entered the Major Crimes office area you could have heard a pin drop. Provenza walked behind his partner and slowly shaking his head at the other detectives, glaring and discouraging them from speaking.

Andy knocked on the Captains door and awaited permission to enter. Sharon saw Provenza who was a few feet away from her door and realized the knock at the door had to be Andy. "Come in," she said firmly as she stood up from her desk.

"I heard you wanted to see me, Captain?" Andy said meekly.

"I do... Something you need, Lt. Provenza?" Sharon glared at the older detective who quickly got the sense he was not going to be invited in.

"Yes, Captain, but if I may…" Provenza edged around Flynn and stepped forward.

"Captain, there's no excuse for what Andy did but in his defense, he hasn't slept in over 35 hours. He just…"

"Thank you, Lt. Provenza," Sharon cut him off. "I need to speak with Lt. Flynn alone. Please close the door behind you when you leave." Sharon gestured and Provenza stepped back and grimaced.

"Absolutely," Provenza said carefully and stepped out of the office as asked.

"Lt. Flynn, please have a seat," Sharon said without looking at him as she remained standing.

"Sharon, I apologize. I am so…." Andy leaned forward in his chair.

Sharon put her hand out to stop Andy. "Stop speaking…_please_," Sharon stared hard at Andy and slowly descended into her own chair. She put her hands together and sat stiffly. The two stared wordlessly yet conveying everything with their eyes.

Sharon's disappointment was layered just under her valid anger and despite the personal hurt, she knew she had to address the issue as Andy's boss and as the recipient of the "workplace harassment" as it were, technically.

Andy couldn't stand the silence any longer. He waited for Sharon to say something, anything.

"_Please_ say something, Sharon," Andy pleaded.

"Why?" Sharon said without any expression. Andy felt like the biggest asshole in the world.

"I was …in my defense, I haven't slept in two days, Sharon and I just forgot myself."

Sharon's eyebrows rose in a skeptical expression, "you_ forgo_t?"

"What I mean is, it was…okay, look. This is so embarrassing…" Andy began.

"Embarrassing?" Sharon said icily. Andy's face turned red.

"I'm so sorry, I know I embarrassed you, Sharon," Andy said sincerely. Sharon looked down and saw Andy wringing his hands as he spoke. She pursed her lips in annoyance which caused Andy to continue. "It's just that I've…I've imagined kissing you before...well a couple of times...so when you went to kiss me I just got …confused. I mean I thought I was dreaming for a minute there."

Sharon's mouth dropped open at his surprising confession and she quickly brought her hand up to cover her shock. Andy noticed she was blushing but other than that, God that woman had one solid poker face.

"You realize I have to report this to both Human Resources and Deputy Chief Taylor…" Sharon said in a firm voice.

"I know. And you should."

"Andy," Sharon began as Andy looked up hopeful at her use of his first name. "I realize you were…_are_ very tired and thought it was all some sort of a …_hallucination, _but_…"_

"Exactly!" Andy said with a big smile. "That's it exactly, I swear! For a few seconds I thought I was fa…fantasizing." Sharon closed her eyes at that f-word. "I want to make this right, Sharon. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." Andy meant every word.

Sharon looked over Andy's shoulder and saw the rest of the detectives, all motionless, staring back at her nervously. Tao, Julio and Sykes were all openly watching Andy and Sharon on the other side of the glass wall. She couldn't see Provenza who was actually just outside her office door eavesdropping overtly. She glanced at her door and saw a suit jacketed shoulder she took to be Provenza in the narrow glass window alongside the door. Above that shoulder, Sharon's eyes met Buzz's eyes and he immediately ducked back into his video room.

"What's happening?" Sykes hissed at Provenza.

"Sshhh!" Provenza hissed back. "It's not good, trust me."

When Sykes' desk phone rang loudly, even Provenza jolted. Sykes took the call and looked at Provenza then mouthed, "we got a crime scene."

* * *

"I understand you're exhausted, Andy, but I can't ignore…." Sharon was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Sharon recognized Provenza's panicky knock. "Not now, Lt!" Sharon snapped loudly.

"Captain, I'm sorry to barge in but we caught a case," Provenza was never so happy to interrupt a meeting.

"Seriously?" Sharon said sarcastically. "Close the door."

Provenza did as he was asked but did so only after ducking into her office and putting his hands up in defense.

"Captain, we do have a case and I've sent Sykes and Julio to the scene already."

Sharon looked away and saw the two detectives hurrying down the hall before her eyes came to rest on a worried Tao. "Now, forgive me, Captain but I think I can help you out here," Provenza said as he gestured to his very depressed-looking partner.

"You have 60 seconds, Lieutenant," Sharon said in what was widely known as her Darth Raydor voice.

"Everyone here knows Andy is sweet on you," Provenza began.

"You're not helping, Lieutenant. 50 seconds." Sharon said coldly. Provenza swallowed.

"…and he's so tired he's _stupid_. I mean look at him, Captain. He can't even keep his damn eyes open." Provenza pleaded. Andy put on his best puppy dog eyes and drooped his shoulders quickly. "He's been on stake-out for two shifts straight, after work yesterday and before coming in today."

"What stake-out?" Sharon demanded.

Andy and Provenza exchanged nervous looks. "Tell her, Andy!"

"The Stroh stake-out, Sharon." Andy looked resigned.

"What are you talking about? There's no Stroh stake-out," Sharon retorted.

"Yes, Captain, there is." Provenza assured her.

"Who authorized it? I certainly didn't," Sharon said shortly. "Did you put in for overtime pay, Andy?" Andy shook his head negatively.

"No, no one authorized the stakeout, Sharon," Andy said quietly. "But ever since Stroh escaped, Julio and I….and even Louie have been keeping an eye on …your residence."

"Are you telling me you've been watching my home?"

"Look, Stroh wants Rusty dead and he's not going to leave you alive if he gets in your home," Andy said forcefully. "No witnesses, remember?"

"Oh my God!" Sharon stood up quickly. "I should…" She paused and put her hands on her hips in defiance. Taking a deep breath and sighing slowly, Sharon forced herself to stay calm. She had to be grateful and in truth, she was.

"I realize you meant well, Lieutenants," Sharon said calmly despite feeling livid. "And I appreciate what you've all done to protect Rusty _and_ me, but this has to stop. I mean, _look at you_, Andy. You can't even think straight!" Sharon could feel her voice rising.

Andy stood up and felt himself sway a little from standing up so quickly.

"Andy, you need to go home and get some sleep, right now. Come back when you're rested and we'll deal with …your _hallucination_ when you get back." Sharon said quickly.

Provenza and Andy glanced at each other. "You mean right now?" Andy asked dully.

Sharon placed her hands on her desk and leaned forward. "_Yes_, Lieutenant. _Right_ now. Don't come back for at least 24 hours. Now go!" Andy nodded and moved towards the door, opening it slowly before looking back over his shoulder.

"Sharon, I'm really sorry I embarrassed you, I mean it." Andy said sadly.

"Go." Sharon waved him off. Provenza remained in place.

"Captain," Provenza said tentatively. "_If_ I may, I think there's a way out of Andy's _hallucination incident, _presuming you're willing to consider it." He waited for a sign from the irritated Captain.

"Lets hear it, Lieutenant," Sharon said impatiently.

"Uh Captain, as I said, Andy was _so_ dog-tired that he couldn't think straight…"

"Then he should have called in sick! Sharon snapped.

"You're right, Captain. He should have but he didn't. But at least now that you know why Andy's so tired, could you just cut him some _slack?_" Provenza knew it was the wrong thing to ask Rule-book Raydor.

Sharon stared expressionless at Provenza debating how to respond. The silence between them felt especially intense.

Provenza broke first.

"I'm mean if you report Andy to HR and to Taylor, it'll come out that Andy, and Julio and even me were staking out your home, off the books. And that could look bad for you, too, Captain."

"Are you trying to blackmail me, Lieutenant?" Sharon was incredulous.

"N-no, Captain. Not at all. I'm just saying that if it comes out that three detectives were on a stake-out_ without permission or overtime pay,_ it could hurt our careers and might even stain your reputation in… some circles."

"So what do you propose I do about …Andy?" Sharon sat down and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Well, I would think an apology is in order — by Andy — to you in front of the whole team for starters."

"Go on."

"Andy confesses his feelings are one-sided…." Provenza paused. "…if they are in fact _one-_sided, Captain." He held his breath, grimaced and awaited his own inevitable beheading.

Sharon was stupefied. "I …"

Provenza figured the thin ice he was standing on was cracking anyway and pressed on.

"I may be speaking out of turn here, but Andy's my friend and I consider you a friend too, Captain." Sharon felt a small smile twitch at the corners of her pressed lips. "And as a friend, I think you may want to consider why Andy thought he could…you know…kiss you."

"What are you saying exactly?" Sharon shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"You didn't kiss _me_ on the cheek when you presented me with my 40-year pin, Captain."

"I didn't…wait, what? Are you saying I caused this?" Sharon balked.

"I'm just saying that when you presented Andy with his 30-year pin, you kissed him..."

"On the CHEEK, Lieutenant!" Sharon was interrupted. "I hadn't been here long enough when you got your pin..I …at the time, everyone was wary of me and you acted like you hated my guts!"

"I'm not saying you're wrong about that," Provenza hedged. "I'm just saying Andy would never have done what he did if he wasn't so stupid…. . I mean, uh…I don't mean he'd have to be stupid to kiss y…Good lord! You know what I mean."

"I'm trying to understand what you mean."

"Look, Andy has feeling for you and maybe he thought you had feelings for him too. And when you gave him a kiss…"

"On the cheek!" Sharon repeated. Provenza nodded.

"…on the cheek, Andy forgot where he was and slipped into fantasy land. Call it a senior moment, if you will." Provenza added.

"I can't just let this go, the rest of the team is going to think …"

"What? That you and Andy are a couple?"

"No, that he's …that I'm favoring him!"

"But you're not, right?"

"No, I'm not, Lieutenant," Sharon said sharply.

"Well, what if you had Andy explain himself to the team and apologize for his actions? Don't you think the others would understand? I mean I nearly kissed Flynn myself once after pulling a double shift," Provenza confessed in an attempt to lighten the moment.

"It was back when I was still married to wife #3 and I confused going home with going up to bed. At the time my wife, the night owl, would stay up late so I'd kiss her before going up to bed. You shoulda seen the expression on Flynn's face when I puckered up and came at him.

Sharon tried not to imagine the scene and found herself supressing a smirk. Sharon could relate to exhaustion on the job. When she was a young mom with a newborn daughter, she often came to work sleep-deprived but never had Sharon made this caliber of personal misstep. The worst she did was get off the elevator on the wrong floor and occasionally walked into the wrong office before realizing her mistake.

"I'll _think_ about it," Sharon answered. Provenza nodded once more. "And, Lieutenant, please make sure Andy gets some sleep. I don't want to see him back in the office until he's coherent. Got it?"

"Yes, Captain." Provenza left her office with a weak smile and caught Tao's eye shooting hima knowing look as he walked to his desk. Tao was dying to know what was being discussed.

"Not now, Tao," Provenza said preemptively. "And if Andy calls, don't answer him. He has to sleep."

Half an hour later Sharon checked in with Sykes and Julio only to learn the case had been stolen by the feds and the pair was headed back in.

"No need to come back in, it's late, lets call it a day," Sharon told the happily surprised junior detective.

"Is everything alright," Sykes pried.

"See you in the morning, Detective," Sharon replied an hung up.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed this story. Considering a second chapter if folks are interested. Please leave your feedback and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**_


	2. Ch2 - What Dreams Reveal

_**Thanks to all readers who gave encouragement and requested another chapter. Hope you like this one…**_

* * *

**Ch. 2 – What dreams reveal**

Upon parking outside his apartment, Andy Flynn dialed his partner for the 7th time and left yet another nervous message since Tao wasn't responding to his calls and neither was Buzz. Andy was left fearing the worst and knew better than to call Sharon.

"Dammit, Louie, call me back now! I need to know what's happening with Sharon. Please call me back, _please_."

Andy walked into his apartment and immediately went to his bedroom where he shed his clothes and took a brief hot shower. It would help him sleep despite his nervous stomach and he needed to feel something consoling after his disastrous actions.

Within ten minutes he had finished shower, checked his cell phone for messages, brushed his teeth, checked his cell phone again, put on fresh underwear and t-shirt, checked his cellphone and fell into bed. _Can I get fired for this? _Andy wondered, _I have to fix this with Sharon, if she'll let me_. Andy's eyes closed as he slipped into a deep, dreamless, exhausted slumber.

* * *

Sharon closed her office and headed home shortly after Provenza left at 4:45 pm. No one wanted to hang around after the debacle of a pin ceremony least of all Sharon. Getting home early – or more correctly – on time for once would raise questions from Rusty. Sharon felt the tension in her shoulders and forced herself to relax them, feeling them drop a couple of inches lower. Sighing, she pulled her cellphone from her pocket and waivered about calling a friend to vent to and to garner some personal perspective.

Sharon put her phone back in her pocket and rode out the rest of the elevator ride frustrated. Once settled into her parked car, Sharon pulled out her cellphone and dialed her buddy, Gavin. He picked up nearly immediately.

* * *

Gavin's knowing smile over his dirty martini was enough to cause Sharon's face to blush deeply close to the shade of her own glass of rose.

"Well, at least you know now for sure," Gavin teased.

"Know what? What are you saying," Sharon prompted.

"Andy's feelings for you. I mean he kissed you - on the _mouth_," Gavin reminded her. "And he used one of the best techniques known to man turning a friendly peck into something more, - turning his head like _that_. That certainly was no accident!"

Sharon shook her head slowly. "I don't know if he did it deliberately or if it was just bad timing."

"I know you were born on a Tuesday, Sharon Raydor, but not _last _Tuesday!" Gavin chided her. "Face it. The man is into you. And maybe…" He purposely didn't finish his thought.

"Maybe what?" Sharon frowned at her friend.

"…Maybe you're into him to? Just a teeny, tiny, _lil_ bit?" Gavin pursed his lips as he swirled the two olives speared in his martini. Sharon looked away to collect her thoughts.

"I thought you were going to give me legal perspective on how to best handle this problem."

"So you're avoiding my questions, huh?" Gavin was unflinching.

"Fine. I like Andy. We're good friends…" Sharon said flatly.

"With or without _benefits_?" Gavin interrupted.

"Without!" Sharon said quickly. "It's been strictly platonic until…today." Gavin said nothing and waited for more reaction or clues to what Sharon was thinking.

"Now, I have to deal with this rather embarrassing situation internally," Sharon said slowly.

"Yes, you do." Gavin sipped his martini delicately. "I have a few suggestions you should consider before doing anything, though." Sharon looked hopeful.

"First, you need to have a private conversation with Andy and find out what it is exactly he wants from you. As if we both don't already know the answer to that." Gavin said sarcastically. Sharon could feel her cheeks burning.

"But before that's established, you need to think about how you feel about Andy and his desires."

"Gavin, I called you because I need legitimate legal advice here, not dating advice!" Sharon said stubbornly.

"Sharon, I'm giving you both, for free I might add!" Gavin leaned forward and took Sharon's hand in his. "Listen to me and think about your situation on two levels. The personal and the professional because they affect each other."

Sharon listened silently.

"Now, I think you need to talk with Andy after you think about what you want. I mean we know the man is interested in you. He proved that by chucking his career right out the window kissing you in front of enough witnesses. _My god_!"

Sharon held back from commenting. Gavin was still holding her hand and it forced her to acknowledge her own personal feelings. Yes, Andy was attractive. He was funny. He was caring and kind and had stood up for her when it mattered. He was passionate about helping people. He was a very nice man – who worked for her. Sure, they got along very well together and he was easy to talk to. He made her feel comfortable and relaxed and even got her to open up about her own life. She liked being with Andy.

Then it hit her.

Sharon suddenly remembered the strange dream she had had about Andy not long after the Nutcracker evening with Nicole and Rusty. The dream made very little sense but she remembered at some point Andy was slow dancing with her and she began undoing the buttons of his shirt. The dream was so vivid that Sharon woke in a panic thinking she had actually caressed Andy's bare chest! She was so bothered by the dream itself and her actions in it that she had avoided Andy most of that specific day out of embarrassment.

_God, what dreams reveal,_ Sharon thought to herself.

"Sharon? Helloooo? Where'd you go?" Gavin was patting her hand and smiling. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Of course, Gavin." Sharon heard herself say. "I was just thinking about what you said, about what I want."

"Good. Good. So what do you want? Could you ever see yourself with Andy?"

Sharon was stupefied by Gavin's bluntness.

"Well, come on, Sharon, out with it."

"I don't know…I never really thought about him like that. I mean we're friends and I do enjoy his company but…" Sharon felt confused. "What I mean is I do like Andy but I can't see…."

"Can't or won't?" Gavin questioned. "The man might even be in love with you. He's watching out for you and Rusty over that Stroh maniac, staking out your home so you'll be safe. Don't you have any feelings for him? Is it really one-sided?"

Sharon felt very uncomfortable with Gavin's personal questions.

"I can see this is getting weird for you, Sharon so lets just try out a couple of scenarios to help you figure out what you should do, okay?"

Sharon nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Scenario One: After you officially reprimand Andy and tell him to keep his mitts and lips off you, he keeps his distance. A couple of weeks go by and you're out one night and you spot Andy having dinner with a woman on what is clearly a date. How would you feel about that?"

Sharon heard every word and allowed her imagination to envision Andy on a date with someone else. Immediately Sharon felt betrayed and hurt. _Damn that smart ass_ _Gavin_. _So what if she felt a little possessive and even jealous. That just meant….oh no._

"What's scenario two?" Sharon deflected. Gavin raised an eyebrow in contempt.

"Not answering my question, I see. Fine. Scenario Two, Andy leaves Major Crimes, perhaps he decides to retire, or Deputy Chief Taylor sees fit to fire Andy. How would you feel about that?"

Sharon narrows her eyes at Gavin and gives him a decent glare. "I would be very unhappy."

"In scenario 1 or 2?" Gavin presses on.

Before Sharon realizes it, she's answered him. "Both."

"I knew it!" Gavin flashed Sharon a sweet, toothy smile. "You two would make a really cute couple."

"How is this helping?"

"It's not but it sure is fun!" Gavin said as he raised his glass at the bartender and gestured for a refill.

* * *

Rusty was cooking spaghetti when Sharon arrived home.

"You got a couple of messages, Sharon."

"From?"

"Jackson. And Lieutenant Provenza," Rusty said as he strained the noodles from the boiling water. "Want to eat first?"

"Sure, Rusty," Sharon walked into the kitchen to gather plates and utensils to set the table.

"I got it, Sharon," Rusty smiled. "How was your day?"

"I should be asking you that question, Rusty."

"Mine was fine. Got my English test back and got a 94 on it," Rusty seemed proud.

"That's fantastic!" Sharon looked pleased and came over to pat Rusty on his back.

"Yeah, I got some homework tonight, mostly reading so …how was your day?"

"Weird."

"Weird? That's a first," Rusty was clearly curious. For a moment Sharon wondered if Rusty had already heard about Andy kissing her. "How weird was it?"

"Just really weird …how about we forget about that for now and eat instead. Everything smells so good!"

"Well, at least tell me if it's weird-good or weird-bad," Rusty needed a little closure.

"Both, now where is that parmesan cheese thingie?" Sharon said to distract Rusty as she glanced around the kitchen and saw the tall container on the counter.

Rusty took the hint and dropped the subject for the moment.

"Unless they were urgent, I'll return those calls after this delicious smelling dinner," Sharon said enthusiastically. "I'm starving!."

* * *

Provenza sat alone in his car watching the parking garage entrance and the front door entrance to Sharon's building. Sharon had arrived home just a few minutes ago and Provenza felt better just knowing where she was. Julio would relieve him in a few hours.

So what if the Captain told him and Andy to drop the stake-out. It's a free country and a man can spend his off-hours anywhere he wanted, like outside his boss's home. At least that's how Provenza rationalized his current situation and location.

Glancing around the neat neighborhood, Provenza considered texting Andy to let him know he was covering the shift. Nah, better he sleep instead. The repercussions would come soon enough. He hoped asking the captain to just cut Andy some slack would actually work. Maybe Captain Raydor for once, just once, bend the rules where his well-meaning, love-sick partner was concerned. Stranger things had happened.

* * *

Thankful Jackson didn't pick up, Sharon left a brief message letting him know she was returning his call and told him to call her tomorrow at her office. Provenza's message was a brief message letting her know he might be late to the office. Nothing worth worrying about.

Rusty was easily distracted into discussing the events of his day as Sharon sat smiling and listening to her son talk. Her mind refused to revisit her own eventful day. She needed a reprieve from work and Rusty was very enjoyable when he got going on an interesting subject.

Once the table was cleared and Rusty was parked in front of the television, Sharon went to her trusty bottle of chilled white wine, poured herself a larger amount than usual and informed Rusty she was going to turn in early but was planning on taking a long bath.

Alone in her room, Sharon took a large swallow of wine then went over to her bedroom window and looked outside to see if the unofficial stake-out was in fact over. Not recognizing anyone's car, she paused to think about Stroh and his chances of breaking into her place. Her new security locks on the balcony and her front door eased her mind and she began to undress.

Within minutes, the bathroom door was locked, her tub filling with bath-salted hot water and Sharon was pinning her hair up for a well-deserved relaxing soak.

She lit three candles near the faucet, slid under the soft water and took a sip of her chilled white wine. The combined effects were just what she needed. Peace and privacy and time to think - or not think. It worked for a few minutes but as usual, Sharon's brilliant brain returned to the elephant in the room.

Provenza had intimated Andy's actions were not entirely his partner's fault. Perhaps Andy's feelings were not "one-sided" as the wise elderly detective had mentioned. Sharon held her breath. Sure, she had feelings for Andy but outside of her odd dream _that one time, _she didn't believe she gave Andy any signals beyond platonic friendship. Right? Maybe? Maybe she had said something or done something to give Andy the idea they could be more than just friends?

Her mind revisited Rusty's smart little commentary the night of the Nutcracker ballet. Andy and Sharon weren't dating because dating would imply romantic interests. She certainly hadn't …even thought about that. She was going out with Andy as friends. Andy had certainly never done anything that could be misconstrued. At least not in front of her. The whole confusion between Andy and his daughter Nicole about Sharon being his girlfriend was all of Andy's doing.

Sharon closed her eyes and let her mind relax. Was she an idiot? Was she pretending to be blind? Had her horrendous ex-husband completely walled her off from the world of male attention?

Why did she kiss Andy on the cheek? It was meant to be friendly. She had hugged Julio in the past when the detective returned to work after being shot and hospitalized for weeks. It wasn't flirting with Andy so it was entirely reasonable to kiss him on the cheek. Like she would have for Lt. Tao or …no, wait a minute. She realized she wouldn't have kissed Tao on the cheek. Nor Provenza not even now that they were much friendlier and closer with one another.

"Oh shit!" Sharon said out loud. She lifted her wine glass and took a large gulp.

* * *

Andy woke up around 2 pm and felt relaxed and refreshed. He had slept nineteen hours! Andy immediately checked his cellphone and saw not one message or voicemail. That's weird, he thought. And then he remembered what he had done and it all came flooding back. The dread of facing Sharon and the rest of the Major Crime team after he kissed her was overwhelming. He immediately dialed Provenza.

"You're awake?" Provenza said as soon as he answered.

"I am," Andy tried to sound relaxed.

"Don't!" Provenza stopped Andy from asking.

"What? I was just going to …"

"I know what you were going to say, so shut up and let me talk," Provenza said in his usual curmudgeonly way. "The Captain doesn't look nearly as pissed as yesterday, so that's a good sign…"

"Oh shit!" Andy said aloud.

"…and I proposed a solution that might let you keep your job and your retirement pay," Provenza added firmly.

"What did you do, Louie?" Andy sounded even more worried.

"Don't panic, man! I just suggested you would apologize to the team and clear the air."

"What does that mean 'clear the air'?" Andy said nervously.

"That you would explain how you had insomnia or something and were so tired you were loopy," Provenza added. "Remember that time when I almost kissed you? When I was so tired and thought you were Evelyn?"

"What?"

"I may have mentioned that to the captain to explain how sleep deprivation makes people do weird things," Provenza murmured.

"You told her that?"

"Well, it's the same thing, right?" Provena pushed back.

"Yeah, I suppose it was." Andy said slowly. "Did she …understand?"

"I think it worked because she ..." Provenza hesitated. "So all you have to do is just publicly apologize to her and to the team and explain how it won't ever happen again, right?" Provenza ended on an aggressive note.

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that. That's great. Is Sharon okay with that?"

"Yes but there's more."

"Like what?" Andy asked fearfully.

"That you tell the team there's nothing going on between you and the Captain."

Andy fell silent.

"You still there, Andy?"

"Yeah."

"Well there _isn't_ anything going on between you two, right?"

"I know."

"So we're good, right?" Provenza urged.

"Yeah." Andy sounded deflated. "Should I come in now?"

"That's a good idea," Provenza agreed. "Lets get this over before it becomes office gossip."

"Alright, see you in a little bit and Louie, thanks man. You saved my ass," Andy added.

"I always do, Andy. Now hurry up."

* * *

Sharon turned from the murder board to find out why no one was responding to her question. Seeing nothing but wide eyes staring back, only Julio signaled to her silently to turn around.

Sharon turned and saw a penitent but refreshed Lieutenant Andy Flynn waiting to be acknowledged.

"Lieutenant," Sharon managed to utter without showing her surprise. "Are you fully rested? Feeling better?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well then, take a seat. We were discussing Phillip St…"

"Captain, if I may…" Andy interrupted. "I need to say something to you and to the team."

Sharon paused and glanced back at Provenza who was nodding his approval.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant," Sharon replied.

"First off, I must apologize for my inappropriate behavior yesterday," Andy looked so uncomfortable that Sharon almost stopped him. "I …I know what I did was wrong on so many levels and I hope you can forgive me for taking advantage of the situation…when you … pinned, recognized my 30 years on the force."

Sharon could feel a lump rise in her throat. Seeing Andy struggle to explain himself to her felt wrong somehow even though it had to happen. She nodded her head and swallowed hard. "Apology accepted, Lieutenant."

Andy gave her a grateful smile. She could see his lower lip quivered slightly at that pause. He cleared his throat and turned slightly away from Sharon and faced the rest of the team.

"Secondly, I apologize to you all for my behavior yesterday and for making anyone feel uncomfortable, besides Shar…the Captain, here."

Sykes and Sanchez smiled back at Andy. Tao nodded to signal his understanding. Provenza smiled discreetly. Andy could feel his face burn.

"I think you should know that I had - have been dealing with insomnia recently and hadn't slept in days and didn't realize how that would affect my behavior." The room remained silent. "But for the record, I did get about 19 hours of sleep since yesterday."

"Good for you, Lieutenant," Sykes said softly.

"Maybe you should see a sleep specialist?" Tao ventured. "Just in case you know?"

"Thank you, Mike. I think that's a great idea," Andy replied sounding relieved. "Uhm, but there's one more thing I need to mention."

Sharon looked down at the floor and waited.

"I uh, I know my actions yesterday might have given you the wrong idea about the Captain and me." Andy cleared his throat and placed his hands in his pants pockets. "Its my understanding that most of you know I have a crush on our boss."

Sharon's head jerked and she looked at Andy in surprise. Julio was smiling and covering his mouth to try to hide it. "Finally!" Julio murmured a loud.

"She's …just not that into me," Andy said with a little chuckle. "So what I mean is my actions yesterday were entirely one-sided and our Captain here didn't deserve to be treated that way. I hope you all forgive my momentary lapse of judgment and maintain the same high level of respect for our Captain as before I made an ass of myself."

Provenza paused before clapping his hands and the rest of the team took the cue to join in. Buzz was smiling at Andy and gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Andy," Sharon was genuinely impressed and shot Provenza a look of approval. "How about we take a break and reconvene in 15 minutes to our discussion?" Good. Andy, may I see you in my office?"

"Of course, boss." Andy heaved a heavy sigh and followed her.

Sharon closed the door after Andy entered and she remained standing behind her desk. Andy held his breath and waited for a response.

"Thank you, Andy."

"No need to thank me, Sharon. I had to clear the air. Thank you for letting me off the hook."

"Actually, it was Lt. Provenza's idea."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to agree to it."

"That's true. You're a fine detective, Andy and I didn't want to lose you. I still have to report the …kiss thing to HR though. I hope you understand why. I'll write up a report for you to sign and make an appointment to discuss it Captain Granger. But I'll also include your sleep deprivation and your apologies to the team and me."

Andy smiled. He knew it was the best he could hope for. Not filing a report would leave them both open to suspicion.

"Is Taylor going to make your life hell over this?" Andy asked.

"Why would he stop now?" Sharon said flippantly. "I can handle him. Don't worry about it." Andy nodded.

"Do you forgive me?" Andy asked shyly.

"I …yes."

"Thank you, Sharon," Andy lingered for a moment before moving to the door. "We're okay then?"

"We're okay," she reassured him. "Just don't ever do that again, got it?"

Andy frowned and nodded and opened the door to leave. "I get it."

Once the door closed, Sharon sat down and let out a huge sigh of relief. Somehow Andy's departure just now should have made her feel better but it didn't.

* * *

_**Did this sound plausible? I want to keep the tension going between these two but I also want it to stay in character. Let me know your thoughts. Love your ideas on how it should go for another chapter. Reviews are wonderful!**_


	3. Ch 3 - Plotters gonna plot

_**Sorry for the delay in updating this story. Would love to hear your thoughts one way or the other to make sure things are staying in character or if you have ideas where this should go. Please leave a review either way. Thanks for reading.**_

* * *

**Ch. 3 – Plotters gonna plot.**

Rusty felt more listless than usual as he flipped thru TV channels late Saturday morning without the usual protest from the unusually quiet Sharon now nursing a second cup of coffee.

"You okay, Sharon?"

Sharon was deep in thought and didn't realize her son was speaking to her.

"Sharon? _Mom?_ Yo? You there?" Rusty flipped off the TV and turned to face Sharon. "_Are _you okay?" Rusty demanded. Sharon stared uncomprehendingly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sharon said quickly.

"What's up with you these days?"

Sharon shook off whatever was clouding her head. "I don't know what you mean. I'm fine."

"Suuure," Rusty said dryly. "If you say so."

"Really, Rusty."

"What's bugging you? Something happen between you and Lt. Flynn?" Rusty decided to go for the jugular. Whenever he brought up the lieutenant it seem to elicit more attention from Sharon.

"Why would you ask that?" Sharon queried.

"Cuz Lt. Flynn's hasn't been around for a while. He use to come by and I don't know… Rusty prompted. Sharon pressed her lips together.

"There's nothing to worry about, Rusty, I'm just tired I guess."

"If you say so, but you'd tell me if I did something wrong, or …"

Sharon realized Rusty was worried about her. "Don't worry, this has nothing to do with you. I'm just …"

"So there _is_ something bothering you," Rusty announced. "Seems like its been bugging you for a while now since that 'weird' day at work," Rusty was far too perceptive for Sharon's immediate liking. His air quotes around the word 'weird' bothered Sharon.

"I'm perfectly fine. Nothing is going on, so what do you have planned for the weekend," Sharon tried unsuccessfully to change the subject.

Rusty knew Sharon wasn't going to share whatever was bothering her. He decided to go for the Mother vein. "Nothing much. Wanna go see a movie tonight?

"That might be fun," Sharon said weakly.

"Cool, you pick the movie," Rusty pushed. Sharon hadn't seen a movie at an actual movie theater in weeks. Something she missed since she and Andy weren't hanging out together any more.

"What do you want to go see?" Sharon asked softly.

"I heard Whiplash was good. What do you think?"

"The piano movie?"

"Yeah, the movie with that bald guy, the piano teacher actor is like sooo familiar, he reminds me of the Commander. The movie's up for an Oscar or something," Rusty said, "we could call Lt. Flynn and see if he'd like to join us?"

"Uh, no, lets just go together, it'll be fun," Sharon said brightly. She and Andy had been avoiding each other for the past two weeks.

"Cool. It's a date, _Mom." _Rusty said with a smile as he got up and put the TV clicker back on the coffee table. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Sharon nodded and gave him a weak smile and got up for another cup of coffee from the kitchen.

* * *

"Lt. Provenza?" Rusty said in a hushed tone.

"Rusty, hey kiddo? How are you?" The elderly detective sounded happy to hear from the young man. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm sorry to bug you on your weekend but I think something is ….so the reason I'm calling is,… um, is something going on between Sharon and Lt. Flynn?"

Provenza wasn't expecting the topic and paused a little too long.

"You're going to have to be _a lot more_ specific," Provenza advised.

"How come Lt. Flynn's hasn't been around _here_ lately?" Rusty said to the point.

"What do you mean? Like at your place?" Provenza sounded nervous. Rusty knew he had struck a nerve.

"Did something happen?" Rusty asked. "Sharon's been kinda…I don't know…kinda down lately. Like someone died or something."

Provenza read into the remark and tried to answer without giving away too much.

"I'm sure the Captain's just fine. Probably tired. It's been a tough week."

"Yeah but its more than that, Lieutenant," Rusty sounded worried. "Did anything happen at work that might be worrying Sharon?"

"Did you try asking her _yourself_?" the elderly man said with his customary sarcasm.

"Of course I did but its like she doesn't want to talk about it. Is it about Philip Stroh?" Rusty's voice took on a tinge of fear.

"No, no, Rusty, it's nothing for you to worry about. Just a lot going on as you can expect but nothing about Stroh that's for sure."

"Then what is it? Sharon's not her normal self and Lt. Flynn's never around anymore…" Rusty paused. "Just tell me, whatever it is. If you don't then I'm just gonna go crazy trying to figure it out…"

"Fine. Look, it's nothing you have to worry about," Provenza offered.

"So there _is _something going on!"

Provenza knew he'd said too much. This kid Rusty was like a human lie detector. "Oh for god sakes, Rusty, it's no big deal."

"If_ its_ no big deal then just tell me what it is," Rusty pounced.

"I don't know if I should be talking about this with you, Rusty," Provenza said slowly.

"Just tell me, Lieutenant." Rusty sounded concerned. "What happened?"

"Look, you don't need to get involved," Provenza hedged.

"Sharon's my mom and I'd like to know why she's so bummed out. Maybe I can fix it," Rusty said earnestly.

Provenza felt his heart swell for the boy's good intentions. "Rusty, this isn't something _you or I_ can fix so we just have to let it play itself out and what will be will be, okay?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lieutenant," Rusty replied. "All I know is Sharon isn't herself these days…and she won't tell me why. She's always so preoccupied but with a sad look on her face. I'm starting to think this is about Lt. Flynn."

Provenza sighed into the phone. "Maybe you ought to think about becoming a detective, Rusty," Provenza deflected.

"So it is about Lt. Flynn, isn't it?" Rusty sounded relieved. "What happened? Did they have a fight?"

"Not a fight exactly,...what I'm about to tell you, so help me Rusty, if you say one word about this to the Captain, I'll kick your narrow little ass into next week," Provenza declared. "I'm serious."

"I promise, not a word."

Provenza hesitated. "Ahhh, about two weeks ago, Flynn got his pin for 30 years on the force.

"Wow, I had no idea Lt. Flynn was that old!" Rusty murmured.

"Hey, he's not _that _old!" Provenza grumbled. "Flynn started young!"

"Okay, okay!" Rusty placated. "So what happened?"

"The Captain presented Andy with his 30-year pin in a sorta informal ceremony more like an announcement kinda thing...and uh, well, Flynn kind of kissed her by accident… in front of the team."

"Holy _shit! _You mean on the mouth?_"_ Rusty yelped.

"No! On the elbow! Of course, on the mouth," Provenza snarked. "But in Andy's defense he was practically dead on his feet."

"Seriously? Wait, how do you kiss somebody by accident?"

"Never-mind that right now," Provenza cautioned. "Suffice it to say that didn't go over so well."

"Did Sharon freak out?"

"Nothing _terr_ible but you could tell the Captain was not happy. That's for sure," Provenza huffed.

"So she didn't kiss him back?"

"Hell no! Of course not! But she took off, …" Provenza stopped himself. "and then she sent him home to get some sleep."

"Why? Was he sleepwalking? Sleep-kissing? Is that even a thing?"

"I don't know ….no, of course not, Rusty! Lt. Flynn hadn't been sleeping much and was tired and…," Provenza paused carefully, the last thing he wanted to admit in a slip was why Andy was so tired. The less the boy knew about the Stroh-stakeout on Sharon's apartment, the better. "But after Andy got some sleep he came in and apologized to the Captain and to the rest of us and then…" Provenza caught himself.

"And then what?" Rusty asked. This kid didn't miss a thing to Provenza's chagrin.

"What?"

_Shit!_ Provenza realized Rusty knew most of the story, so he might as well hear the rest.

"Uh my partner stupidly and very publicly announced… well, he …" Provenza sighed heavily.

"Tell me!" C'monnnnnn." Rusty was dying to get the full story.

"Fine! Andy admitted he had a crush on the Captain."

"Well, d'uh! Everybody knows that!" Rusty said with a smile. Provenza caught himself smiling a little, too. "What did Sharon say?"

"Well she didn't say she felt the same way, that's for sure!" Provenza snapped.

"Ohhh, I get it," Rusty said slowly. "That explains why he's not been around. He's probably really,really embarrassed, huh?"

The truth was Flynn was practically a_ mime_ these days at the office even whenever the partners were in the car on their way to a crime or hanging out after work. It seemed Andy was going to a few more AA meetings lately too.

"Well, he's been pretty quiet these days, but he'll bounce back eventually."

"So that's why Sharon's been so quiet," Rusty realized. "I'm really glad you told me what's going on because I had no idea _this _was bugging Sharon."

"Rusty, my boy, that _may not_ be why Captain is feeling that way."

"Oh yeah? So both of them are acting weird since then, way too quiet, they're both unhappy and its not about that?"

Provenza knew the boy was right.

"So how do they react to each other at work?"

"Rusty, its complicated."

"So, what you're saying is the Lieutenant _accidentally_ kissed his boss. Then he apologizes publicly and tells everyone he has a thing for Sharon," Rusty couldn't help feeling a little smug knowing this confirmed everything he thought about Sharon and the Lt. _not-dating dates_. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"Do about what? What do you mean ..ooooh no. Nuh-uh! _'We'_ aren't going to do anything about it," Provenza balked.

"Maybe we should, I mean it's been weeks and neither one acting normal," Rusty explained. "All we need to do is …."

"Nonononono! We are not doing anything, you hear?" Provenza fussed.

"Well, I'm going to the movies with Sharon tonight. Around 7 or 8 o'clock to see Whiplash. It's only playing in one theater right now.

"Why are you telling me this?" Provenza sounded genuinely confused.

"Think about it, Lieutenant," Rusty said. "We could bump into each other and…"

"Good lord! Rusty!"

"Trust me! Now call Lt. Flynn and invite him out tonight. Remember, Whiplash! Okay?" Rusty was grinning as he spoke.

"Whiplash, yeah, I'm gonna get whiplashed to death if this blows up!"

"It won't. Trust me. Now make the call," Rusty urged and hung up. _This is gonna be great! _Rusty was a little excited by his plan. Sharon was such a good person and she didn't deserve all the shitty things life had handed her like Jackson. Andy Flynn seemed to make her smile so why not help things along. _Holy shit, he actually kissed her. Sleepy, my ass!_

* * *

Lt. Provenza called Andy and it took some doing but he finally got his partner to agree to seeing a movie with the promise of burgers afterward as Provenza's treat. Andy knew his partner was concerned about him and gave in although he would rather have stayed home holed up all the same. He'd been spending plenty of time at AA meetings, sometimes attending two meetings a night to get past his broken heart and keep his mind off the bottle.

The last time Andy and Sharon spoke about anything other than a case, Sharon had told him clearly she wasn't interested. He remembered her exact words. "Don't ever do that again" in reference to his stupid kiss. He could barely look her in the eye knowing she wasn't interested in him. Things had been awkward ever since.

Maybe getting out and seeing a movie with Provenza would be a nice change of pace. He couldn't sit and sulk in his apartment forever.

* * *

Sharon and Rusty found seats near the middle of the theater rows and slipped into a pair of vacant seats in the nearly full theater. The lights dimmed and Sharon settled in to watch the previews as Rusty dug into his bag of popcorn. She glanced over at her son and enjoyed the fact he wanted to hang out with her.

Within a few minutes, the sound of a familiar laugh caught Sharon's attention and she tried to locate the direction of the voice. It was too dark to see much but she picked out the familiar laugh once more as the audience was reacting to an upcoming comedy's preview.

"Hey! Is that Lieutenant Flynn down there?" Rusty asked loudly as he pointed three rows below to a silver-haired man seated next to what appeared to be a blonde woman.

"Ssshhhh!" Sharon said in a panicked voice. The last thing she wanted was to be seen _by Andy_ while he was out on a date. She unconsciously slid down in her seat a bit. Rusty noticed and couldn't help smile to himself.

"Is he on a date?" Rusty said, a little too loudly for her tastes. Sharon could feel her stomach sink.

"I don't know, Rusty. Don't worry about it, lets just watch the movie," Sharon whispered.

"The movie's not even on yet, Sharon. I'm gonna go say hi, maybe he can come sit with us," Rusty started to stand before Sharon stopped him.

"Don't!" Sharon grabbed Rusty's arm.

"Why?" Rusty asked innocently.

"Just, don't. Please." Sharon didn't want to explain herself and really wanted Rusty to sit back down.

"Okay, but I don't…" Rusty began as the last preview ended and the movie started. Rusty reached for his cell phone and surreptitiously texted Provenza, hiding his phone behind the popcorn.

Provenza felt his cell phone vibrate and pulled it out of his pocket to read the text.

"It could be a murder, don't answer it," Andy whispered to Provenza.

"It's Patrice," Provenza lied and glanced at his screen's text.

"We're here" Rusty texted. "3 rows behind you."

Seconds later a text appeared on Rusty's phone.

"Good. Stay put." Provenza responded.

"Who's the woman between you," Rusty texted Provenza.

"What woman?" Texted Provenza.

"Next to Andy," Rusty texted back. "Short blond hair?"

Provenza turned to glance past his partner and noticed a blond woman seated next to Andy. There were two women next to Andy, neither of who knew him or Provenza.

"The blond?" Rusty tried again.

"No clue. Not with us." Provenza texted.

"Good," Rusty texted back as he glimpsed Sharon's face next to him. She was engrossed in the movie. He waited a few minutes and then handed Sharon the bag of popcorn. She shook her head no.

"Have some," Rusty said sweetly. Sharon conceded and reached into the bag for a few kernels. "I swear that's Lt. Flynn down there! Look!"

Sharon couldn't help herself and glanced in the direction Rusty was pointing. "It could be," Sharon said pretending not to care.

"Guess he's on a date," Rusty said casually. Sharon said nothing but her eyes remained on Andy's silver hair instead of the silver screen. "That's a bummer," Rusty added. Sharon looked over at her son. "I thought the Lieutenant was into you."

"We're just friends, Rusty." Sharon tried to sound unfazed and popped the kernels into her mouth before grabbing another handful. Rusty remained quiet and kept an eye on Sharon. She wasn't going to say anything more so Rusty gave up – for now - and decided to watch the movie. And wait.

Nearly two hours later, as the credits rolled Andy and Louie stood up and looked up toward the exits.

"Lieutenant Provenza? Lt. Flynn!" Rusty yelled. Andy jerked his head in the direction of his name and saw Rusty standing next to an uncomfortable-looking Sharon Raydor.

_Oh God! Be quiet, Rusty! _Sharon begged internally. No luck, the detectives spotted them immediately. She had to be polite and forced a small smile.

"Hey Rusty!" Provenza waved back. Sharon glared at Rusty who was oblivious but in no way ready to leave the aisle and waited for the flow of people to pass.

Andy glanced up and caught Sharon's eye. Smiling immediately, Andy nudged his partner. "What are the odds, heh, Lou?"

"It's fate," Provenza said sarcastically. Andy looked genuinely happy for a split second.

Sharon held her breath and waited for Provenza and Andy to approach. She could see the blond woman following behind Andy. "Hey, Sharon," Andy said shyly. Sharon nodded.

"Andy," She said softly.

The two detectives paused and gestured for Sharon and Rusty to step out of their aisle ahead of them. Sharon had to restrain herself from running.

"What did you think of the movie?" Rusty turned around to walk backward and asked both men. Sharon kept moving.

"Great. I loved the music," Andy said carefully. The air had been a little strained at work for the past couple of weeks and neither he or Sharon seemed fully comfortable alone in the murder room as of late. "What did you think of the movie, Sharon?"

"It was intense," Sharon managed to say with a quick glance over her shoulder. Andy looked at Provenza who shrugged at Andy's concerned face.

"What about you, Rusty?" Provenza asked. Rusty grinned.

"I loved it! Maybe I'll get a set of drums and start…." Rusty said enthusiastically waiting for Sharon's reaction but saw none forthcoming. "Lt. Flynn, where's your date?"

Perfect! Sharon forced herself not to react. She shot Rusty the most withering glare which Rusty pretended he didn't see.

"I wouldn't call Provenza my date exactly." Andy laughed.

"Hey, I'm offended! I paid for your ticket!" Provenza cajoled his partner and Rusty laughed. Sharon slowed her pace a little realizing her initial impression was wrong. She consciously let out a sigh quietly.

"Well, it was nice seeing y…" Sharon said as she reached the lobby with the three guys in tow but Rusty wasn't going to let her off that easily.

"Hey, why don't you guys join us? Lets go get something to eat and talk about the movie." Provenza smirked at Rusty and shook his head lightly. He knew exactly what the boy was up to and couldn't say he minded. Andy perked up considerably once he saw Sharon but he was afraid to respond to the invitation.

"It's getting late," Andy hedged as he glanced over at Sharon waiting for her cue.

"C'mon you guys," Rusty cajoled. "It'll be fun! It's not even 10 o'clock!"

"I could eat," Provenza added.

"When do you not," Andy joked, patting Provenza's gut.

"Come on, Sharon, what do you say?"

Sharon smiled at Rusty's exuberance. "Fine, okay."

"Where do you want to go?" Andy asked looking at Sharon directly.

"I suppose somewhere there's burgers," Sharon suggested pointing her chin at Rusty. Andy grinned. Rusty loved burgers and never turned one down in all the time the detectives had known him.

"Lets go! There's gotta be a restaurant around here," Rusty said glancing around. He knew if they went in separate cars Sharon would find a way to beg off.

"C'mon, this way," Provenza said gesturing to the others, "I know a place."

Sharon made it a point to stay next to Rusty and led the way with Andy and Provenza behind. Andy couldn't help but watch Sharon. His eyes followed the sway of her hips in her snug blue jeans. It had hurt when she told him in no uncertain terms to ever kiss her again. He'd have to get over the embarrassment but that didn't mean he wasn't still very attracted to her.

Sharon hoped the restaurant wasn't too far and before she could finish her thought, Rusty pulled open the door to a lively looking upscale burger place filled with people on a Saturday night.

The hostess seated them in a booth in the back and Sharon pulled Rusty deftly as she slid into her seat. Andy slid in to give is partner the aisle seat and blushed when his foot bumped against Sharon's. She looked up and then away quickly.

_Relax, _Andy reminded himself_. She doesn't hate you, it's just a burger with buddies. Yeah, right._

Sharon tried to appear unfazed but her heart was beating a little too fast. Why was she feeling nervous? It was just Andy…who kissed her and _ruined everything_,

Provenza pretended to be reading his menu holding it up enough to block Sharon and Andy from seeing his face. He glanced to the side of it with a crooked smirk on his face and saw the same expression on Rusty's smug face.

Rusty winked and Provenza winked back.

"Everything looks so good," Rusty said. "We should do this more often! Don't you think?"

Provenza faked a quick cough to cover his chuckle. Neither Sharon or Andy said a word. It was going to be a gloriously long and fun night torturing his boss and partner.

"The night is young…" Provenza managed to add as he signaled a waitress. "…and I'm thirsty!"

Andy and Sharon looked up at Provenza and caught each other's eye before quickly looking away and back to their menus.

Rusty suppressed a laugh and studied the menu. _Sharon and Andy, sitting in a tree….!_ Rusty sang internally.

* * *

_**Ah, the plot thickens as two people who aren't supposed to be attracted to one another are brought together by "fates," Rusty and Louie. The tension is growing and something's gotta give. Please review and let me know how you'd like to see it develop. Thanks for reading. Review are so encouraging and appreciated.**_


	4. Ch4 Secrets spilled over Dinner

_**So here's another chapter designed to string along the tension between our favorite Captain and her favorite Lieutenant. I've received one piece of feedback finding the previous chapter very OC yet another (different) reader providing the very nicest review ever and seemingly loving that same chapter #3 so … That was a little paralyzing in updating this story. For that I apologize. Lets hope you like this new direction.**_

* * *

Ch.4 Secrets spilled over dinner.

_Four people. Two tied up in tension, two in cahoots. All in one booth._

Provenza was not amused but _plenty _confused by the evening's new re-direction.

On one hand, Provenza had agreed to go along with Rusty's idea of getting Andy and Sharon to run into each other outside of the office if only to mend hurt feelings without coworkers spectating. On the other hand, Provenza was and always had been dead set against any office hankie-pankie – especially between his partner and their boss since the potential (or inevitable) fall-out is harder on all involved when office romances sour. Of course, the only time Louie Provenza _doesn't_ mind an office romance was when he is on the receiving end of said hankie pankie.

So while Andy, Sharon and Rusty read over their menus, Provenza nursing his first beer of what was to be a few, and mulled over how this foursome came to be in this booth this evening. It didn't take Provenza all that long to realize how Rusty had played him expertly. _Somehow_ Rusty had manipulated the situation in just a few seconds from what was _supposed to be a chance or lucky encounter_ into an odd sort of "double-date." Thus, no good deed goes unpunished! How is it this effort to bring two neurotic idiots together to end their discomfort would only end up inflicted on the older lieutenant? Provenza's chin came out in defiance as he squinted at the young man seated across the table.

From the earlier phone conversation with Rusty, Provenza had_ only _agreed to go along with the teenager so things could return to normal at home, the same way Provenza wanted things to return to normal at work. Back to when cases were solved and interpersonal relationships were platonic.

Maybe the kid was right about getting the pair together for more than just a few minutes. It did beat doing nothing that evening - sorta. Provenza sighed heavily and flag the waitress for another beer. All right, maybe he'd go along with the manipulations, but that didn't mean he have to like it.

While Provenza pouted to himself_, _Rusty began peppering Sharon and Andy with questions about the movie and their take on the characters. Despite his best efforts, the conversation lagged noticeably. Neither Andy nor Sharon seemed particularly comfortable contributing much to the conversation, and, on the whole, were painfully quiet.

"Well, _I loved_ the movie!" Rusty announced. "It was sooo intense – how that guy just wanted to be the best and practiced 'til his hands bled! Sharon, what would you think if I were to get a drum set, ya know, used of course? I mean I'd earn the money for it first." Rusty wasn't the least bit interested in actually playing drums but he figured it would get Sharon talking. It worked.

"Well, Rusty, if you're really interested in the drums, how about trying out a few lessons first?" Sharon said in that soft voice that usually purred when she was relaxed. Rusty pursed his lips but eventually nodded at the better option.

"Yeah, okay, that's probably a better idea." Rusty took a slug from his root beer and glanced over to Provenza who gave him a look that read _you're on your own, kid_. The waitress finally returned to their table to take their orders giving Rusty time to think up a new strategy.

"I've always wanted to play music but I never really had the opportunity before, you know?" Rusty commented to no one in particular. He knew how to play on Sharon's sympathies. "Do you play anything kind of instrument, Lt. Flynn?" Andy looked surprised at the question.

"A couple actually," Andy said with a grin as he leaned forward placing his elbows on the table. Sharon and Provenza instantly looked at Andy as if he'd suddenly grown a horn out of his forehead. How did they not know this about Andy already?

"What do you play?" Rusty was genuinely interested.

"Yeah, and how come you never told me?" Provenza sputtered.

"You never asked, Lou." Andy said with a wry look. Sharon was curious but stayed quiet. How was it Andy never mentioned it to her either?

"I started playing piano as a kid, real cool – right?" Andy rolled his eyes at Rusty. "My mother was a Sinatra fan and insisted I learn how to play. I had lessons twice a week for _years_."

"Seriously? I would have killed for music lessons as a kid!" Rusty interjected. "What the other instrument?"

"Guitar," Andy said before taking a sip of his soda. "Mostly jazz back in high school," Provenza's mouth hung open.

"Jazz?" Provenza looked skeptical.

"Hey, there was a girl…." Andy shot back. Provenza understood immediately. Many a man or teenage boy did things directly associated with pleasing or attracting a girl he was interested in.

"I've known you how long and you never once mentioned you were a musician?" Provenza snarked. "Got any other hidden talents I should know about?"

"Many! But it'd just make you jealous," Andy teased. Provenza smacked Andy's upper-arm with the back of his hand.

"Jazz? You?" Provenza was clearly surprised by his partner's choices. "Rock and roll, I could see, but jazz?"

"You don't have to sing when you're playing jazz," Andy retorted.

"So you can't sing or you don't want to?" Provenza pushed.

"Both," Andy laughed good naturedly.

"I would've never have guessed you're a musician," Rusty said politely. Andy smiled back and wagged his head a little.

"_Was _a musician," Andy said gently. "No one ever does." He lifted his water glass and took a sip while allowing his eyes to glance over at Sharon's face. Her eyes caught his as she tilted her head to the side with new appreciation and a tiny smile curling the edge of her mouth.

"How about you Lieutenant?" Rusty gestured to Provenza.

"Nah, I was too busy being a jock," Provenza said mock-seriously.

"Oh, reallllly?" Andy said raising his eyebrows. "Too cool to play music? Riiiiight… what sport? Badminton?"

"Very funny," Provenza shot Andy a drop-dead-and-die look. "Not _sport_ – Sportssss. Football, track _and_ baseball," Provenza said as he began on his second glass of beer. "What about you, Captain? What were you into in high school? Music or sports?"

"Both actually. Flute … synchronized swimming and..," Sharon said with a half-smile stopping herself from continuing abruptly.

"Anddd?" Rusty prompted. "You said 'and'."

"_And _that's it," Sharon said pressing her lips together sweetly. Andy could have sworn he saw Sharon's face turn slightly pink.

"Seriously?" Rusty needled. "I get the feeling there's more to the story." Sharon tried her best poker face but it was a split-second too late.

"Like what," Sharon asked Rusty innocently as she crossed her arms across her chest. Rusty recognized Sharon's body language as trying to guard herself.

"I really can't see you as being nerdy back in the day, so that rules out chess club or math club," Rusty said playfully.

"Chess isn't _nerdy_!" Sharon countered. "You play chess, Rusty and you're not nerdy at all."

"So where you?" Rusty awaited her response.

"No, I was _not_ in either chess or math club."

"How about Student Council?"

"Nope." Sharon said glancing at Provenza who was enjoying the conversation and far too interested in uncovering any possibly humiliating morsel in Darth Raydor's past.

"Chorus?"

"God, no." Sharon smiled. "I can't sing." Andy smiled at her comment.

"Yeah but you do hum! A lot!" Rusty joked. Andy and Provenza instantly nodded in agreement. Sharon stared at everyone with wide eyes.

"I don't hum!" Sharon exclaimed. "Do I?" All three smirked at her.

"Fine. OK, So I hum." Sharon shrugged helplessly.

"Um, yearbook?" Rusty continued with the rundown of clubs familiar to him through his own catholic private high school education.

"Not yearbook. Not even school newspaper." Sharon leaned back and faked an uneasy smile.

"You're hiding something, I can tell!" Rusty pointed at her with a grin. "C'mon, Sharon. You're sitting here with 2 and a half detectives, fess up."

"Flute and swimming," Sharon repeated to him. "That pretty much covers it all." _Where the hell was that waitress? Anything to get the guys to stop digging._

Provenza chuckled at a private thought. Rusty glanced over at him. "What?"

"Pretty much? Is that a confession or a hint, Captain?"

Rusty was smiling at the elderly detective. Lt. Provenza didn't miss a thing. Not only that but now the conversation had everyone's attention _and_ participation. _Mission accomplished. _

"I'd bet real money our Captain here was either a four-eyed brainiac back in the day _or_ a bubbly bouncy little cheerleader!" Provenza gestured by shaking invisible pompoms under his chin. Sharon's eyes widened.

"Or both." Andy interjected. Sharon glanced up at him with a look that confirmed Provenza's suspicions. Suddenly Andy leaned back with a big grin on his face. Both knew a guilty tell when he saw it. "You were, weren't you, Sharon." Andy finally addressed her directly. Sharon rolled her eyes and shook her head a little.

"I was _not_ bubbly. OR bouncy."

Provenza leaned over and bumped Andy. "Ha! Darth Raydor_ was_ a cheerleader! Am I good or what?"

"Sharon, you were a cheerleader?" Rusty's surprise was unnerving. "Like for real, with pom-poms and flips and stuff?" He couldn't imagine this serious woman cheering in a sexist outfit.

"How did this conversation go so off-track?" Sharon shook her head with a small, embarrassed smile. "Yes, we had pom-poms, but our uniforms were a lot more modest than they are today."

Andy looked positively pleased and tried not to smile. Was Sharon squirming because she knew at this point, most men typically mentally picture her in a short little cheerleader outfit. This was exactly the type of thing didn't want anyone to do or even know about, especially her own team.

"And I fully expect you to respect my privacy and never mention this to anyone employed by the LAPD," Sharon said seriously.

Andy frowned initially but realized it was exactly the kind of personal nugget he and other male cops would have pounced on to embarrass or tease her, even undermine her authority, had they known about it when she was in IA.

"I'm serious, lieutenants. You too, Rusty." Sharon wasn't smiling.

"Of course, absolutely," Andy reassured her. "Likewise, my jazz guitar past. Don't even!" Sharon started to smile when she realized Andy was trying to lighten the moment.

"That's cool," Rusty replied. "I get it."

Provenza looked around the table and realized everyone was staring at him awaiting his agreement.

"What? I wouldn't dream of it," Provenza reassured. Sharon nodded at him and he nodded back. All was understood.

"Uh….what about the 'brainiac' part?" Andy prompted seizing the moment to return the conversation to a more comfortable atmosphere. Sharon looked relieved to get off the subject of cheerleading.

"I…uh…why do you want to know this …," the smile returning to her face.

"Sharon, c'mon it's not really bragging if it's true," Rusty said encouragingly. Sharon sighed without giving away anything. She was also tired of being questioned. Privacy was something she treasured.

"The only way I'll answer is if I get to ask each of you a personal question and you answer it truthfully. Any takers?" Sharon had suddenly turned the tables. She wasn't going to share any more private information unless she got something back in return.

"I'm in," Rusty said immediately. His curiosity got the bet of him while still reeling over his new mother's incongruent background.

"Why not. Sure!" Provenza added. Andy hesitated He wasn't so sure he wanted to answer any personal questions knowing how insightful Sharon was. The last thing he wanted having to answer personal questions since the kissing incident. What if she asked him about that?

"What are you afraid of?" Provenza bumped against Andy's shoulders.

"I'm not afraid," Andy replied calmly. "Maybe Sharon just doesn't want us invading her privacy any further." Sharon's eyes met his with an appreciative smile.

"Or yours?" Rusty joked looking at Andy.

"Exactly," Andy replied without missing a beat. Sharon's eyebrows rose. What was Andy hiding now?

"Sorry but it's an all-or-nothing deal," Sharon replied with a small smirk.

"Andy, are you _actually_ afraid Darth Raydor here will find out something that hasn't made it to your personnel file by now?" Provenza asked between mouthfuls of his sandwich. Andy squinted at Sharon. It was an opportunity to keep her talking to him, something he'd come to miss over the past two weeks.

"Alright," Andy said with a crooked grin. "But only if I get a follow-up question to _your _question, Sharon."

Sharon cocked one eyebrow. "Okayyy, you can ask but I may not answer."

"Good to know," Andy said playfully. "I'll just have to ask in such a way that if you _don't _answer, that answers my question." Sharon smiled back. She'd have to be extra careful how she'd respond now.

"So about those grades, Captain?" Provenza had a feeling he already knew what she'd say but half the fun was watching her discomfort when she talked about herself.

Sharon shrugged and admitted she had graduated with honors.

"Well, of course you did," Provenza said sarcastically. "Were you the Valedictorian, too?

Sharon shook her head, "Oh, no, I had a social life."

"Boom! Touché!" Andy smirked at Provenza. "Most cheerleaders do!

Before Provenza could respond, the waitress arrived with a large tray filled with everyone's dinners. Everything smelled delicious and the four were actually quite hungry by now. The conversation quickly lapsed as each one dug into their dinner for a few uninterrupted minutes. At some point Provenza looked up and noticed Sharon was smiling slyly at him. He had hoped she had been sufficiently distracted to forget to follow up but judging by the look on her face, Provenza knew she was planning a doozy to extract a little revenge… or ammo.

"So what do you want to ask me?" Provenza sighed as he looked at Sharon carefully. "And remember there are children present."

"Hey, I'm _18_!" Rusty retorted. "Don't hold back, Sharon."

Before Sharon could respond she found herself yawning. "Wow, it's late. I'm going to have to reserve these questions for another time. But just know I _will_ ask them and you _will _answer me truthfully. A deal is a deal." She said mock-seriously.

The three groaned. Protests ensued and Sharon grinned knowing she had played the cards well. The suspense, the dread alone would have them on their toes, she mused to herself. Sorry but not sorry. It was so like her. A very expert move.

As the meal finished up, Sharon slid her credit card onto the table as the waitress approached with the tab. Andy noticed.

"Not happening, Captain, don't even think of about arguing," Andy commented. Provenza waited to see how the moment played. Either way he wasn't paying.

"Please, Andy. I insist. It was our idea…." Sharon insisted.

"Like I said, no way," Andy repeated. "Besides how would it look if you paid for all those beers Provenza drained? Provenza cocked an eyebrow.

"Then we're splitting it," Sharon said firmly. Andy sighed. He knew he wouldn't win this battle.

"As you wish," Andy relented. Within a few minutes the waitress had run the credit cards and returned them to the table while Provenza took the opportunity to visit the mens room after ordering one more beer.

"Thank you for your company, gentleman," Sharon mentioned once Provenza returned.

"Please. Let us walk you back to your car, Sharon," Andy interjected. "It's late and this area can be a little…."

'Sketchy?" Sharon suggested. "No need, but thank you. I'm armed, just like you. We'll be fine."

Andy had no choice but to agree. To do otherwise was to insult his boss

"Good night, Andy, Lt. Provenza," Rusty said as he slid out of the booth.

Sharon glanced at her oldest lieutenant and smiled as she exited the booth. "Good night, Andy. Louie. See you Monday and thank you for the company."

"My pleasure," Andy said quickly. "Be careful."

"Of course. You too." Sharon said automatically.

As the pair was leaving, Provenza couldn't resist calling out to Sharon. "Gooooo team!" Sharon spun around and pointed at the lieutenant with a very stern glare. Provenza's grin evaporated. "uh…I mean Good night!" Sharon nodded and turned to leave with a chuckling Rusty.

"You swore to, you idiot," Andy warned his tipsy partner.

"Yeah, yeah. I know but I figured it was now or never."

"Well from now on, it's never! Don't make me have to remind you," Andy looked genuinely annoyed.

"Calm down, lover boy!" Provenza teased. "I won't tease your Captain of the cheerleading squad any more, Annn-dee."

Andy rolled his eyes at his sloppy partner. "You're toasted. No more beer for you and I'm reminding you about this tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." Provenza retorted. "You're no fun."

"So you tell me," Andy scoffed as he pondered the question she might ask him and what he planned to ask her.

* * *

_**So what do you think? Did this stay in character? Your comments are so appreciated. Thanks for reading.**_


	5. Ch5 Sweet Realizations

_**Thank you, kind readers for sending the absolutely fantastic and encouraging, supportive feedback. I do hope you like how this story is developing. I'm all about maintaining the tension between Sharon and Andy while slowly bringing Sharon around to the idea she's as drawn to Andy as he is to her. It's only natural that she be completely blinded to her growing feelings toward Andy given her married-life experience, the utter impropriety of getting involved with an underling as well as the guardedness she's had to cultivate as an FID officer. But seriously, something has gotta give. And it will, soon.**_

* * *

**Ch. 5 Realizations**

Andy ended up tossing and turning that Saturday night as his mind raced over the newly revealed facts about his hot boss. So Sharon Raydor was once a brainy, cheerleader with a social life back in high school. _Of course_ she was brainy. Who couldn't see that? This sexy woman with the fantastic legs, green eyes, beautiful face, and a sweet, kind disposition had to have been a popular girl back in school. Was she homecoming queen too? Probably. Andy was now even more curious about Sharon Raydor. Who she really was.

As to be expected, Andy spent more than a few hours trying to picture what a teenage Sharon must have looked like: sweet, innocent, unguarded and untouched by life's ugliness. Bitter ugliness like an alcoholic ex-husband who abandoned her to raise two small children alone without any financial or parental support. Unwarranted ugliness like the pariah treatment she received from fellow cops while she worked in FID to protect the LAPD. If she was lonely, it didn't show. It wasn't until Andy had begun to see her regularly outside of the office on friendly, platonic terms that she only truly seemed to relax.

Who was Sharon before she became Sharon Raydor, Captain Raydor? Andy wanted to know everything but it seems he'd never really find out after the fiasco he caused. He'd have to carefully and slowly recover her trust somehow. And maybe they could go back to be friends who hung out _occasionally _once more. Then again, there was the matter of his admitted crush on her. No wonder she hadn't spoken to him much in the weeks past. Still, she did talk to him after the movie. It had felt briefly like things were back to normal. The thought of Monday made him nervous.

* * *

It was nearly midnight Saturday as Sharon lay in fresh cotton sheets twisting and turning trying to fall asleep. The thought of Andy behind a piano's keyboard kept popping in her mind. Andy's macho, tough swagger didn't seem to fit with his early musical artistic side, something that left Sharon pleasantly confused. Who knew Andy had such hidden talents? That he played jazz guitar_? Why hadn't they ever gone to listen to jazz when they hung out_? Sharon decided she'd make sure that happened, if they ever hung out again as long as they were just not alone.

Discovering this hidden side to Andy had Sharon wondering what other things she didn't know about him. He intrigued her. She thought she knew everything about Lt. Andrew Flynn thanks to his thick FID file. Obviously a hot head when things were unfair or wrong. She couldn't blame anyone for getting riled over life's unfairness. His temper had tempered over time now that alcohol was no longer a factor. Did he play music to relax? She wanted to know but found herself stymied by recent events.

No. Better she should hide her interests. Wait for things to calm down especially since Andy actually admitted publicly to having a crush on her. How she wished he hadn't. Their every move would e viewed differently now. Still how had his feelings escaped her notice? What she thought was a good friendship had now taken a turn she didn't or wouldn't see. How was it Julio and Tao saw things she had missed? Had Provenza noticed it too? Of course he must have. He was Andy's partner.

The thought of Provenza worried Sharon slightly. She hoped he'd forget all he'd learned about her high school activities. It wasn't anything serious to worry about but at this stage in her career, she didn't need any teasing or marginalizing by male peers. She felt fairly safe Andy would respect her request for privacy but Provenza was too close to retirement to bank on silence. One _sis boom bah_ out of him and she knew she'd gut Provenza like a trout.

The questions! Of course, she still had that ace card to play and now she'd need to think of the perfect and personal question for Provenza. And Andy. The kind of none-too-harmful-but-plenty-embarrassing question that shed light on her lieutenants.

* * *

Provenza sobered up on Andy's couch Sunday afternoon and laughed himself a wake. Andy came out of the kitchen to check on his elderly partner still sacked out on his sofa.

"Andy, I just had the _weirdest_ dream! The Captain was cartwheeling around the murder room and cheering for us! Haaaaa haaaa haaaa!" Provenza was giggling like an idiot. "Damn nice pompoms too!" Andy shook his head at his partner and went back into the kitchen without commenting. Provenza noticed.

"I didn't drink that much, did I?" Provenza asked as he got up off Andy's leather sofa slowly and walked in the direction of Andy's bathroom. "Huh? Seriously, did I?"

"You _were_ pretty messed up," Andy chuckled. "Do you remember the hot little cheerleader you hit on?" Andy was _seriously lying_ but only in an effort to mess with Provenza's recollections.

"What? What cheerleader?" Provenza said as he scratched his groin over his wrinkled pants.

"You don't remember?" Andy asked with arched eyebrows. "Too bad! Obviously she had daddy issues because she found you adoraaaable!"

"Yeah?" Provenza said with a smile. "Was that before or after the Captain and the kid left?"

"Way after," Andy answered.

"Damn, did the cheerleader give me her number?"

"Uh no but you did give her yours," Andy lied. He could only hope Provenza would confuse the evening sufficiently so that Sharon was safe from any teasing.

"Good for me. See? If you weren't so hung up on that Captain of ours, _you_ coulda scored!" Provenza rambled from the entrance of the bathroom before closing the door.

Andy chuckled to himself. "Sharon, you _so _owe me."

* * *

This Monday morning, Commander Pope drove up and got out of his sedan just two cars over from Sharon's in the LAPD parking garage.

"Good morning, Commander," Sharon replied as she walked up to his car. No escaping the fact she'd now have to walk in with him. To continue ahead when he was just a step or two behind would be rude.

"Good morning, Captain Raydor," Pope smirked. He had an odd look on his face. Sharon paused by his fender and waited for him to head into the building.

"Good weekend?" Sharon asked without any real interest as she noticed Andy's car parked close to the elevator. He must have gotten in early to get such a prime spot in the garage.

"Not bad, how about you?"

"Fine. Caught a movie with Rusty. Have you seen 'Whiplash' yet?" Sharon mused.

"No but I've been meaning to. Everybody's been telling me I look like the guy in the movie, the mean one who hits the piano kid!" Pope laughed.

"That's funny, that's exactly what Rusty said," Sharon smiled at the Commander who was obviously in a better mood than she had anticipated.

"That _is_ funny. Hey, you know what else is funny?" Pope said slyly. "I heard about a certain male LAPD lieutenant who planted one on a female captain at work. You know anything about that, Captain?"

_Damn it_! Sharon decided to play along. "Really? Rumors travel fast around here."

"Well the place _is _crawling with detectives!" Pope smiled.

"True. Apparently the lieutenant has insomnia and hadn't slept in days but did apologize numerous times to the captain and the entire team."

"So I heard," Pope relayed. "Anything else happen?"

"Why yes. As you can imagine, the captain was rumored to have reported it to HR and the case is closed."

"Good to know! Exactly what needed to be done, Captain," Pope said as he paused for Sharon to enter the parking elevator first. Sharon nodded and stepped forward. "Do you think this might affect the team's performance?"

"I can't see how. There's definitely nothing going on between these officers. Of that I can assure you," Sharon said firmly as the elevator closed. The pair rode up in silence. Sharon was silently praying this odd conversation was over. She was somehow pleased how Pope approached the topic - almost as if it were hypothetical in nature. As the elevator stopped onto Sharon's floor, she moved through the open doors exiting the elevator with a sigh of relief.

"I always thought Flynn had his eye on you," Pope said with a grin as the elevator doors closed leaving Sharon more surprised than embarrassed.

_Damn it! Why does everyone think there's something going on between Andy and me?_

* * *

Andy was preoccupied on the drive to work early Monday morning. He was nervous about seeing Sharon but equally excited in the hopes that things would return to normal. Where they might actually be relaxed and able to speak to one another without tension or embarrassment.

Thought of Sharon preoccupied his mind all day Sunday and even this morning. It had taken a while for his brain to wrestle with the new information about his crush. Sure, Sharon was a stunning woman. Beautiful, smart, sexy and kind and - once Andy's libido had worked over the 'cheerleader' mental images - it occurred to Andy how some of her cheerleading traits continued to date.

It totally fit her persona. Sure, superficially it might cause her embarrassment for the 'sexy vixen' aspect but in reality it showcased one of Sharon's strengths - cheering on and expecting people to do their best. The Major Crimes team really had improved _and_ grown closer under Sharon's leadership through her encouragement, high standards and understanding. Andy knew it was _the Sharon effect_ that had helped him to refocus on his private life, taking the needed steps to improve strained relationships with his own grown children and become involved in their lives.

That caring and nurturing side was even more evident in Sharon when she took Rusty under her wing. She didn't have to do anything so enormous as adopting a street kid but she did it anyway because Rusty needed someone to be there for him. And she couldn't stand to see Rusty be let down again. Sharon truly wanted to save Rusty from the ugliness life had planned for him if no one intervened. Because of Sharon Raydor, Rusty was on the road to a bright future, a college education and the confidence that stems from a supportive family. Sharon's kindness and loving heart was always there beneath the wary exterior - something every cop failed to see when called before her desk in FID.

Andy found himself smiling on the drive into work thinking how Sharon Raydor was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. It pained him to realize how long it took for Andy to discover this about her. And something as unrelated as her high school activities showed him how different she really was from what people believed.

* * *

Buzz paused on his way into the department and waved a box of donuts at Provenza and Julio.

"Who's hungry for donuts?" Buzz asked no one specifically.

"I'm always hungry for donuts," Julio said as he stood up and reached for the box. "It's a cop thing!"

"To what do we owe this generous effort to ply us with pastries?" Provenza said before biting into a chocolate-iced, Boston crème-filled donut. The look of happiness spread across the gruff old detective's face in a moment of bliss.

"I find its much easier to work with detectives when they're in a good mood," Buzz said with a smile.

"Hey, I'll take one," Tao jumped up and leaned over to reach for the sole cake donut. "You're pretty smart, Sugar-Buzz!"

"Got any jelly-filled ones?" Sykes asked with a little laugh at Buzz's new nickname. Buzz nodded and pointed, his mouth too full to talk. "Andy? Better hurry if you want one," Sykes said.

"I'm coming!" Andy turned around in his chair and headed over. The box was nearly empty but two donuts were left. Clearly Provenza had taken a couple as did Julio. "Pink icing and sprinkles! My favorite," Andy joked before he selected the dark chocolate un-iced cake donut.

Buzz smirked. "I thought the captain might like one. Why don't you take that one to her?" Andy's face turned a little pink.

"Nice, _Sugar_ Buzz," Andy grinned good-naturedly. "Is this how its going to be? Teasing me about Sharon?"

"Hey, it was just a suggestion," Buzz smiled knowingly as he headed into the video-conference room.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Andy said sarcastically. He knew he was going to be in for some teasing and as long as Sharon wasn't present, he'd take it in stride. Almost immediately the sound of high heels could be heard growing louder.

"Good morning, detectives," Sharon greeted her team as she entered the murder room. "Donuts? How nice!"

"Saved you one, Captain," Tao said as she passed behind him on her way to her office.

"Thank you, Lt. Tao. Maybe later."

"Better grab it now before someone else does," Julio said seriously. Sharon smiled at Julio and shook her head.

"Okay, in a minute. No one touch the last donut," Sharon said mock-seriously as she unlocked her office door hesitating a second. "Good morning, Andy."

"Good morning, Captain."

Sharon continued into her office pleased to see Andy was now talking to her in the office, a definite change from the prior week. Maybe the weekend's chance encounter was just the thing they needed to get over the awkwardness.

Dropping her purse on her desk and glancing at her desk phone Sharon could see the voicemail light blinking just as her stomach growled._ Messages can wait, coffee and donuts first!_ Sharon approached the nearly empty donut box. "Pink icing and sprinkles, my favorite!" Sharon joked. The look of surprise on the team's faces caught her attention and Provenza coughed loudly signaling everyone to ignore the fact Sharon had said the exact same thing Andy had moments before.

Julio started laughing and turned his chair around to face his desk

"Something funny, Detective Sanchez?" Sharon asked as she took a small bite from the donut.

"No, ma'am. Nothing at all."

Sharon looked puzzled and turned to look at Tao who shrugged back innocently. "The donuts are compliments of _Sugar_ Buzz," Det. Tao said with a smile.

"Sugar Buzz, huh?" Sharon raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure he must love that!" Tao and Julio chuckled shaking their heads negatively at her.

"Coffee?" Andy asked quietly from behind. "I'm getting a refill."

"Oh yes, please," Sharon replied as Andy headed to the breakroom alone. She carried her donut back into her office and took a seat before hitting the voicemail button and lifting the receiver.

It seemed as if everyone – meaning Andy - was back to normal. For now.

* * *

_**Hope you liked this update. Reviews make writing worth while and twice as fun. Hope you found this in character. Still pondering what questions Sharon should ask of Andy and Provenza. Any ideas? Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review. Thanks!**_


	6. Ch 6 The Long Drive

_**I don't know about you but the summer hiatus can not arrive here soon enough! Fan fiction is all there is to keep me going. I hope this new chapter helps you in the same way. Thanks for reading.**_

* * *

**Ch. 6 The Drive**

Andy paused for a split second before entering Sharon's office, both hands holding cups of coffee, his and hers.

"Here you go, Captain," Andy said plainly. Sharon had forgotten and was caught nibbling the last of her pink donut.

"Thank you, Andy." Sharon smiled as Andy entered. "You don't have to call me Captain, Andy, we're still friends, right?"

"Of course," Andy said quickly though his mind couldn't get passed her words a few weeks ago right here in this very office. It hurt when she told Andy to 'never do _that _again' after the unfortunately timed kiss in front of the team. If he could travel in time, he'd go back and undo the mistake.

"Are we okay?" Sharon asked as she took the coffee mug from Andy. He was smiling but not really listening.

"Uh, you've got…uh a little icing on your …" Andy gestured to his mouth.

"I do?" Sharon asked. Her tongue instantly darted out and licked the corner of her mouth. "Did I get it?"

"Uh…" Andy was struck numb at the sight of Sharon's tongue running along her upper lip. "Not quite." Andy gestured once more and without thinking, leaned forward and wiped the pink icing off the corner of her mouth before licking it off his thumb. Sharon's eyes widened. She stared in shock at the intimate gesture.

"What? We're friends, right?" Andy said with the tiniest bit of sarcasm and a shrug as if this rather intimate gesture was normal. He smiled and turned to leave but bumped into Assistant Deputy Chief Robert Taylor who was about to enter Sharon's office.

"We got a break on Stroh!" Taylor said excitedly. Sharon felt her heart race at the name of the escaped serial killer.

"Thank God. What happened?" Sharon demanded.

Taylor watched her face closely. "Palm Springs PD reported finding a car on a neighborhood street last night. The owner of that car, Michael Hren, was found dead inside, stabbed through the driver's seat. Hren's roommate reported him missing two days ago after he didn't return from an Uber run."

"How is this connected to Stroh?" Sharon asked. Andy was now standing in the office doorway hopeful to hear the killer was arrested or, better yet, dead.

"Stroh actually described himself to the Uber service. Even used his own first name," Taylor replied.

"What?" Andy commented. "He didn't actually …"

"No, Lieutenant. What I mean is the Uber customer described his own height, weight and hair-color and even gave the name, Phillip."

"That doesn't make sense," Andy murmured.

Sharon cocked her head and hummed to herself. "No, it does actually. Stroh wants us to know he got away with another murder." Sharon said softly. "He's taunting us that he's right under our nose and still killing."

"Whatever that psycho sonuvabitch is doing, he's going to get caught." Taylor snapped. "I'm sick of this bastard making us look like idiots. Captain, get your team on this right away and …._be careful_, got it?"

Sharon nodded in response and got up to follow Taylor out of her office and to speak with her team. The day had potential to be life changing.

* * *

"But Captain, it's a 3-hour drive to Palm Springs," Provenza fussed.

"We don't have the budget to fly the team down there," Sharon reminded him. "Partner up and head out. I'll be right behind you. Make sure Buzz rides with one of you."

Andy lingered, "Why don't you ride with me and Provenza so we can discuss the case." Sharon hesitated but realized she could get some work done on the ride if she didn't have to drive.

"Fine. Give me a minute to pack some files. I'll meet you both in the garage.

"Great. See you in a few minutes," Andy smiled. He knew this would drive Provenza nuts. By the time Sharon arrived downstairs, the detectives were already gone except one.

"Where's your partner?" Sharon asked a sheepish Andy.

"He's coming," Andy said as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger's front door for Sharon.

"I can sit in the back," Sharon said quickly.

"No way, it's too tight back there. Louie's likely gonna nap the whole way down and he snores. I'd rather not have to listen to that for three hours.

"You sure?" Sharon conceded and sat in the front seat placing her leather tote bag on her lap. Andy nodded and waited for her to get in. Andy closed the door carefully and smiled to himself as he came around to the driver's seat. Provenza would just have to deal with the backseat assignment. Right on cue, Provenza walked up to Andy's car, noticed Sharon was in the front seat and cocked an eyebrow at his partner who had yet to get in. "What the hell?"

"Shut up, Louie, you know you're gonna be asleep before we even leave the garage."

"Why is _she_..." Provenza shot back.

"It's my car. Get in." Andy said as he opened the driver's door leaving Provenza muttering on the other side of the car.

Provenza got in the car noisily and sighing deeply to let everyone know he was _not_ happy with the driving arrangements.

"Thank you, Lieutenants, for letting me ride with you."

"Yeah, yeah," Provenza muttered to himself before speaking up. "Our pleasure, Captain." Provenza eyes met Andy's in the rear view mirror and saw Andy frowning at him.

After a few minutes on the road, Andy navigated to the highway leading to Palm Springs. Sharon had already pulled out her ipad and a small keyboard that clipped to it. She set up a personal hotspot through her cellphone, plugging it into Andy's dash and was all set to begin working through paperwork and emails.

Provenza was still annoyed being relegated to the back seat but he knew where the Captain was concerned, he'd lose to her every time if Andy had to choose. Sliding down in his seat a little, the elderly detective adjusted his white cap over his eyes to block the light, and leaned against the seat, wasting no time getting comfortable for a nap.

Andy knew Sharon was using her paperwork as an excuse to bury her worries about Stroh. She had to be as nervous as cat leaving Rusty alone to follow Stroh's trail. Knowing how the serial killer worked, every member of Major Crimes knew this was an orchestrated move designed to draw them after him.

"You okay, Sharon?" Andy asked. He briefly wondered if his latest stunt with the donut sprinkle on her lip bad been over the line. She seemed rather taken aback when he touched her mouth with his forefinger. She just looked so cute, the impeccable Darth Raydor, unaware of the pink sprinkle on her upper lip. He enjoyed replaying the moment in his mind.

"I'm fine," Sharon said without looking up as she texted Rusty to let him know she would be out of town for the day on a case and to caution him to be careful.

"Will music bother your concentration?" Andy asked before touching the radio dial.

"No, not at all," Sharon said as she reached into her bag and pulled out three files.

"Can't be my file, it's too thin," Andy joked. Sharon smiled but her eyes never left the document. Andy turned on the radio and switched it to CD mode. Light jazz began playing softly. It took a few minutes but Sharon finally looked up and over at Andy. Recognizing the music genre, Sharon smiled as she took in Andy's relaxed state.

She closed the file on her lap and leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes and listening.

"This is nice."

"You like it?" Andy asked.

"I do." She smiled to herself.

"Sleeping Beauty back there always wants to listen to sports stations – not that I mind-but this is much better on a long drive."

"I can see why you like it. It's relaxing." Sharon opened her eyes and stared ahead at the bumper of the minivan ahead of them. The smile vanished from her face.

"You know, you can talk to me. About Stroh I mean." Andy said gently. Sharon's eyes closed for a few seconds.

"I know."

"Um…Rusty's got a protective detail so he'll be okay."

"Actually, he doesn't he told me he was tired of it. I couldn't get him to even listen…"

"Well then what he doesn't know, won't hurt him," Andy said smugly.

Sharon turned to look at Andy. "What do you mean?"

"Taylor. He sent two undercover cops to Rusty's campus before we left."

"Taylor? Seriously?"

"As a heart attack," Andy said solemnly. Sharon's face lit up as she sighed with relief.

"He didn't say anything to me about it…"

"Yeah, well, actually I called him while you were on your way down. I convinced him it was something that needed doing now that Stroh's surfaced. He didn't take much convincing."

Sharon reached over and squeezed Andy's lower arm in appreciation. "Thank you, Andy. I am so grateful to you. Really." Andy beamed at her with a big crooked smile. Sharon smiled back. She felt the nagging fear in her stomach dissipate in seconds.

"Now you don't have to use those files to distract yourself about Rusty. Just relax and put that stuff away."

"It's tempting." Sharon really didn't want to work on department budget cuts. It was too irritating.

"C'monnnnnn," Andy teased. She shot him a guilty look and found herself stuffing all files back into her tote.

Provenza's snort interrupted their conversation but was quickly followed with a low snore.

"Great," Andy said. "Mind if I turn this up a little?"

"I was just going to suggest that," Sharon replied.

The music volume went up and the pair fell into a comfortable silence as Provenza's rhythmic snore continued from the background. Andy checked the rearview mirror to see a slack-jawed Provenza slouching against the windown and was thankful to see the old man napping. Snoozing would make Provenza less crabby by the time they arrived in Palm Springs. Sharon kept her eyes forward glancing around the scenery generally unaware of Andy's occasional glances.

Sharon's hands were relaxed. A good sign. One hand sat alongside her thigh on the seat. The other rested on the closed ipad on her lap. Andy couldn't resist checking out her legs. Her skirt allowed stopped a few inches from her fine-boned knees. Perfect, slim calves and slender ankles with those hard-ass high heel pumps.

"Don't those shoes ever hurt your feet, Sharon?" Andy asked as he turned to stare straight ahead.

"I'm quite use to them."

"Well, feel free to kick them off if you want, we've got a couple of hours 'til we arrive."

"I'm fine but I could do without this jacket," Sharon leaned forward and began pulling her blazer off with some difficulty in the confined seat and seatbelt.

"Here," Andy said as he reached over and pulled her sleeve towards him making it easier for it to come off.

"Thank you," Sharon said as she folded her blazer carefully and stretched between their two seats to place the item on the backseat next to a sleeping Provenza. Andy felt a brief surge of excitement with her being so close to him for a second or two, her waist twisted, a whiff of her perfume, her skirt sliding up another couple of inches - all of which causing him to drift across the lanes. A sudden horn blast got his attention and Andy overcorrected the car jarring them back into the proper lane. Sharon quickly pulled back into her seat.

"What happened?" Sharon asked as Provenza's head just lolled away from the window and back with a small thud. It didn't seem to bother him as he stayed asleep.

"Dumb ass drivers!" Andy lied. Sharon pulled the hem of her skirt down a little and relaxed back into her seat. It was going to be a long drive and Andy needed to keep his eyes on the road instead of Sharon's slender legs.

The pair rode comfortably in silence listening to the light jazz music, separate thoughts occupying their mind. Sharon's concerns drifted to Stroh and the latest victim. The killer was an arrogant psychopath who enjoyed toying with the police, specifically her, more so than he did with the actual killing itself.

Andy noticed Sharon's hands were clasped tightly together. She was clearly worried about what she'd find in Palm Springs especially if this recent murder was confirmed as another Stroh kill. Andy waited for Sharon to speak when she was ready.

"If Michael Hren is another one of Stroh's victims, its likely Stroh has already left Palm Springs."

"Probably." Andy agreed. "We might even be driving right past him right now."

"You think he'd go back to LA?"

"Well, he gets off on screwing with police so you need to be careful, Sharon."

"He's after Rusty, not me."

"Stroh hates women. And you're a woman cop. Hurting you would_ kill_ Rusty," Andy pointed out. "I wouldn't put it past that psychopath to come after you as well." The last statement hung heavy in the air. Andy looked over at his silent boss and reached over to cover her hands with his and squeezing them gently.

Sharon looked down and then over at him. "I know."

Andy nodded at her and left his hand in place on hers. It felt right and she let him. Her mind drifted back to Andy's words.

He was right. Stroh was unpredictable and cruel. Coming after Sharon _would_ terrify Rusty just as it terrified her that Stroh might be stalking Rusty right now.

"I didn't mean to scare you. Stroh's not stupid enough to try anything while you're with your whole team," Andy said carefully.

"I wish he would, it'd be a lot easier taking him down," Sharon murmured. She slid one hand out and covered his hand still resting on her other one. "I'm fine, really."

"Of course," Andy said encouragingly. He made no attempt to remove his hand from hers and she left her hand on top of his. Neither seemed to mind as they drove down the smooth California highway. Provenza was all but forgotten.

"We're okay, aren't we?" Andy said with a long look. Sharon could feel his eyes on her and she turned to look at him. "You know, running into you and Rusty at the movies this weekend, I got a little nervous."

"Me too," Sharon admitted. Andy's head snapped to look at her.

"Yeah? Why would you be nervous? I'm the one who crossed the line," Andy said. Sharon realized she had said too much.

"I guess I didn't know what you'd do."

"What, like kiss you again?" Andy said incredulously.

"No, that's not what I meant." Sharon sounded flustered and pulled her hand off Andy's. His hand remained on her other hand – he gave no hint of removing it.

"So what made you nervous, then?"

"I don't know," Sharon lied.

"Were you still mad at me?"

"A little …" Sharon admitted. "I knew you were avoiding me."

Andy sighed. "I was."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Andy said withdrawing his hand from hers. "I upset you and made an ass of myself."

"You're not an ass. You just …

"You were mad as hell," Andy said firmly. "And you told me never do it again."

"I was mad," Sharon admitted. "I mean you surprise me - _and_ everybody else." She joked.

"So you're not mad anymore?" Andy asked softly? "I'm _off_ the Raydor hit list?"

"We're friends, Andy. Friends make mistakes now and then." Sharon said kindly. "Some times they cross the line, the boundaries, but it's not unforgiveable. I value our friendship and wouldn't want to lose that."

"Yeah, me neither." Andy forced a smile. She had deftly skated around mentioning his admitted crush. On one hand, he was thankful for that. On the other hand, it hurt that she ignored it. Andy cleared his throat and went for the brass ring.

"It doesn't change the fact I still have a _major _crush on you, Sharon Raydor." Andy said as he stared over at her. Sharon looked over at him and quickly looked away, afraid to say anything that would encourage him or hurt him.

"Eyes on the road, _Lover Boy_!" Provenza interjected gruffly. Sharon instantly covered her mouth with one hand trying to hide an embarrassed laugh. Andy felt his face redden.

"Go back to sleep, old man!" Andy shot back.

"Shut up and leave the boss alone," Provenza snarked before closing his eyes and readjusting his cap to block the daylight. "You are flirting with danger, Flynn!" He murmured loud enough to be heard. Sharon was secretly relieved that Provenza interrupted their discussion. It curbed the conversation from going into territory she wasn't ready to discuss.

"Hear that? My partner thinks you're dangerous." Andy teased, wiggling one eyebrow at her. Sharon cocked an eyebrow with a sly smile.

"Maybe I am."

"No maybe about that," Andy smiled back. Sharon reached for the files and placed them back on her lap, a clear sign the conversation was over. Andy sighed. He realized Sharon wasn't going to discuss her feelings or his with Provenza sitting within earshot in the back seat. He knew she was burying herself in paperwork to avoid the topic and Andy resigned himself to a quiet drive for now.

Sharon tried to appear deep in thought as she stared at the large unfolded spreadsheet from the budget file. The numbers weren't adding up. Her brain refused to stay on task choosing instead to replay Andy's confession over and over._ I have a major crush on you, Sharon Raydor. _This time Andy _wasn't_ stupefied by exhaustion. This time he _meant_ it. That realization made her feel_ funny_ especially now that he was just a foot away and neither could run from the other.

A combination of alternating emotions rocked her mind and body: surprise, fear, excitement, dread, and joy. Sharon was reminded just how nice it was to be considered loveable. Sure, she'd had her share of men hitting on her, occasionally a woman too, now and then. But those situations were never directed at _who_ she was but rather what she looked like. _This_ was very different. Andy knew her for years and in that time he had behaved as if he despised her. Yet somehow, all of that had changed since she joined Major Crimes. She had grown use to being despised. It was just part of the job for those working in Internal Affairs. Sharon learned not to take it personally but it still hurt to be treated like a pariah for years. That's why hiring Amy Sykes had helped Sharon move forward. Having someone else around her who looked up to her with admiration rather than disgust was necessary until those around her would forget her IA history.

Sykes admiration had spread to others on her team. Andy's growing friendship proved that. Both Tao and Sanchez became increasingly supportive as did Provenza, most of the time. But this "crush" business was altogether new. And. Alarming.

Sharon's head jerked up at the thought. It _was_ alarming because of what that thought did to her. It made her feel happy. She wasn't sure if what she felt was something beyond just friendship for Andy, or if it was just the feeling of being accepted and genuinely liked. She didn't want to know just yet. Andy had noticed her sudden movement but said nothing.

Sharon quickly looked back at the spreadsheet pretending to checkmark figures with her pen. She realized her feelings of dread just answered the question she was avoiding inspecting. Sharon's mind ricocheted back to an awkward conversation she had with Rusty last night, Sunday night, about Andy.

* * *

"_What do you think is bothering Lt. Flynn?" Rusty asked as he was loading the dinner dishes into the dishwasher._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean what's wrong with Lt. Flynn?" Rusty repeated with some sarcasm._

"_Uh he's fine. Why?"_

"_Because he seemed preoccupied Saturday night," Rusty said knowingly. Sharon ignored his tone. "Do you think Flynn could be…I dunno know… maybe someone you might see yourself with?"_

"_Rusty!" Sharon admonished. "I'm his boss!"_

"_What? I'm just asking."_

"_Why would you ask that?" Sharon was agitated._

"_Because it's so obvious he's really into you! Don't tell me you haven't noticed. I heard about him kissing you." Rusty sounded smug. Sharon squinted at him._

"_And __**who**__ told you that?"_

"_Lt. Provenza but you can't let him know I told you or he'll kick my butt into next week," Rusty said seriously. "To be totally fair though, I called__ him__ and interrogated him until he finally gave it up." Sharon looked furious._

"_It's not something you need to kn…." Sharon began but Rusty cut her off._

"_Yes, I do need to know about it. You're my mom now and ... Sharon, you're the nicest person I've ever known. You deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy."_

"_Rusty, I __**am**__ happy." Sharon reminded him._

"_If you say so. But you're also alone. Don't you think you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy? Someone who is crazy about you and who you can trust? He paused waiting for her to answer._

"_I'm not alone. I have you in my life, Rusty," Sharon reminded him. "It's really nothing for you to worry about. I've been alone for the past few years since my kids grew up. I'm use to it."_

"_Yeah, well, when you're unhappy, I'm unhappy."_

"_Since when have I been unhappy?" Sharon demanded to know._

"_Oh, please! For the past two weeks, you've looked like someone shot your dog. The only time you perked up was when we ran into Lt. Flynn and Provenza at the movies on yesterday._

_Sharon's mouth hung open in surprise._

"_I …"_

"_I think you should stop fighting it." Rusty said as he got up from the sofa and paused at the entrance of the hallway as she spoke out._

"_Fighting what?"_

"_Fighting your feelings for Lt. Flynn!" Rusty stated firmly. "He's obviously crazy about you and it's like you're so clueless which is pretty sad, you being a detective and all." Rusty shot her a look of pity before picking up his backpack off the floor and heading down the hall to his bedroom_

"_I'm just sayin'" Rusty said in a raised voice as he strode down the hallway leaving Sharon to pause and reconsider Rusty's advice._

* * *

Sharon knew Andy couldn't know what she was thinking about but that did little to comfort her. She suddenly felt self-conscious. How was it that everyone seemed to be in on the fact that she was blind to - possibly on purpose? How did she not see this coming? Was Sharon so wary of being hurt that she just subconsciously refused to recognize when someone was genuinely interested in her?

She mentally kicked herself for being oblivious to Andy's intentions. He had been nothing but wonderful to her while she was getting to know and love Rusty. Was that it? Was she so concerned about Rusty she just didn't see what was developing between her and Andy?

No, Rusty was the _key._ Without Rusty, no one in Major Crimes would have gotten to know as much about her, the human, the woman, the anti-Darth. Rusty revealed her humanity and sensitivity to her team members. Sharon's concern for him, her fears and efforts to protect the boy from getting lost in the system revealed her for who she had always been. A kind-hearted, caring woman who'd been hurt by so frequently for so long that she was enigmatic. Between Jack, her callous shit for a husband and the day-to-day snubs of her fellow cops while she rose through the IA ranks, Sharon had hardened herself and excelled at keeping the hurt disguised by poise and polish.

The combination of moving to Major Crimes and saving Rusty had come along just in time _together_ to change her and her life. Both gave her something to care about besides rules and regulations. In turn, these two entities allowed her to be herself, to show who she was underneath the tough exterior. And in turn the people around her grew to genuinely care about her and she felt the same way about each and everyone on her team.

She'd been so hungry for a close friend and confidant that it didn't occur to her that sexual attraction could develop. She realized she could no longer pretend or ignore what was developing between her and Andy. Now the fact was out there. Andy had real feelings for her and it was time to consider all the options and obstacles that might offer.

Realizing she had stared at the same spreadsheet for nearly an hour, Sharon finally closed the file an switched to a new one. The new contents gave her the cover she needed to continue her private thought carefully. She needed to consider Andy with all his strengths and weaknesses. She decided she'd use the one question he had to answer to uncover why he was interested in her and why now.

The drive wouldn't be nearly long enough.

* * *

_**Sorry for the delay in getting this update online. Now that everyone including Sharon knows about Andy's feelings – for real – its time Sharon deal with her own feelings. Please let me know if you liked this direction or if you have ideas of what you'd like to see next. I love your reviews and appreciate your time to read these chapters and comment. Thanks!**_


	7. Ch7 Process of Elimination

_**So one reviewer suggested its time to ease up the tension and get things moving between Andy and Sharon. I confess I love the awkwardness and the tension but it can't keep happening for ever. This chapter is about setting up that scenario. The next chapter will give us the type of Shandy scenes we all wish the show would include. Hope you like it and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

**Ch.7 Process of elimination**

It was just before noon when the car full of detectives arrived on the Palm Springs crime scene. Provenza unbuckled his safety belt and leaned between the two front seats pointing to the crime scene tent.

"Looks like Sykes and Sanchez made good time on the drive, they're already questioning the patrol officers," Provenza pointed across Sharon's chest. Andy drove up to the taped off perimeter and turned off the engine.

The three detectives exited quickly in the low-key, high-end neighborhood. Andy lifted the tape for Sharon and Provenza to duck under before each pulled out their badges to flash at the two Palm Springs officer approaching them to block them from entering the site. Sharon identified herself and Andy to both officers who verify their badges and directed them to the site commander.

The site commander was standing between the crime tent and the small black hybrid vehicle housing the murder victim. The body had remained in the car per Taylor's earlier instructions.

Andy took special care in studying the faces of the few neighbors scattered across well-manicured lawns and sidewalks. Some were hanging around hoping for a glimpse of the corpse, others were hoping to talk with either of the two TV news crews pacing outside the perimeter tape. Andy had a sick feeling in his stomach as he assessed each person within a 50-foot radius in case Stroh was posing as a neighbor or even a cop. No one in the immediate vicinity had his slim, tall build.

Andy followed Sharon as she headed for the man identified as the site commander. Off to the left she saw both of her Major Crimes' teams working the scene. Sykes and Sanchez were interviewing local officers near the car. Buzz and Tao were working together, Tao narrating the details of the crime scene while Buzz videotaped.

"Captain Sharon Raydor, LAPD Major Crimes Division. Who's in command here?" Sharon asked two men conversing with their backs to her. Both turned around immediately and introduced themselves intending to shake hands but Sharon kept both handsa in her jacket pockets. She was impatient to inspect the crime scene for signs of Stroh's work.

The taller of the two introduced himself and his fellow detective. "Good to meet you Captain Raydor. I'm Lieutenant Jeff Cearley and this is Detective John Withers." Lt. Cearley was about forty five, heavy-set and blonde, Andy noted. Detective Withers was barely five feet tall, the Palm Springs detectives made an odd looking pair.

Provenza had already headed over to Sykes and Sanchez for a case update.

"What do we know about the murder victim and the killer?" Sharon asked skipping the niceties.

"Your Deputy Chief Taylor told us to expect you. I understand you have reason to believe this murder may be linked to a serial killer named Phillip Stroh?"

Sharon nodded. Andy coughed lightly

"It's possible," Sharon responded. "Excuse me, this is Lieutenant Andy Flynn with LAPD's Major Crimes. Andy and the rest of my team are working the Stroh serial murders and we need to see the victim's cell phone."

"The cell phone's already been removed from the car," Detective Withers said quickly. "We've got our tech expert working on the contents right now. Uh, if you'll follow me, I'll take to you to the victim."

Sharon's face remained neutral despite being annoyed to learn the cell phone had already been removed from the scene. Clearly Stroh would normally have left the victim's cellphone behind knowing it could give clues to his whereabouts. But then again, things had changed and if Stroh was responsible for this murder, it was exactly what he'd do.

Andy and Sharon followed the short detective to the victim's body as Tao and Buzz stepped back. The young man was slim, and about 5'10" and young, maybe 25 at most. Sharon noticed the victim had been stabbed _through_ the car seat where blood had soaked through the seat's padding and pooled on the floor of the backseat.

"The killer used a very large knife on this vic," Andy pointed out. He looked to Sharon who was still inspecting the interior of the car. Her eyes were searching the backseat for clues to the identity of the killer.

"Open it up," Sharon said. "Andy, would you please go and find out what's on the victim's cell phone." Andy didn't want to leave her side but agreed and followed the diminutive Det. Withers into the crime tent where the tech team was studying the downloaded contents of the victim's cell phone.

Provenza had directed Sykes and Sanchez to re-interview the resident of the house where the victim's car was parked and canvas the rest of the neighbors on that street for possible eyewitnesses to the passenger who exited victim's car. Armed with new information, Provenza came to Sharon's side and waited for the opportunity to brief her. Sharon was listening to the tall lanky Lieutenant Cearley who ran through the list of items found in the car.

Provenza held his hand over his nose as the victim's body was finally removed from the warm car. Sharon's wrinkled her nose as she kept her hands in her pockets. Sharon and Cearley watched as the victim's body was pitched forward against the steering wheel and turned slightly to allow two forensic examiners to pull the body slowly out of the front seat. A large wet, meaty organ fell out of the body hitting the hot concrete of the road, splattering bloody liquid against the car's back door and across Provenza's shoes.

"Dear God, what the _hell_ is that?" Provenza shouted with disgust leaping away with surprising agility.

"Sorry officer, it looks like his liver," the forensic tech smiled inappropriately. In his line of work, anything could happen and this was not an unusual incident. "You're gonna wanna clean that off real soon or it's gonna start stinking." Provenza frowned and rolled his eyes as he turned to speak to the Captain.

The corpse was laid on a stretcher, raised and wheeled over to the crime tent for a secondary inspection by the medical examiner.

"Has the body been examined before now?" Sharon asked Lt. Cearley who nodded explaining their commander was instructed by Deputy Chief Taylor to leave the body in place until Major Crimes had video of the victim in the car.

"Michael Hren was stabbed more than a few times with a large knife," Lt. Cearley explained. "Our medical examiner noted there were pieces of foam cushioning found inside the body and the spine was severed. We checked the victim but left him in the seat."

"Any ideas on the type of knife?" Sharon asked. She knew Stroh had a preference for large hunting knives.

"Hard to tell but I'd bet it was a machete, possibly a hunting knife," Cearly answered.

"A machete?" Provenza said doubtfully. "Those things are used to hack away, not stab. What makes you think it _was anything else but_ a hunting knife?" Provenza was straining not to shout at the either stupid or inexperienced Lieutenant. Sharon reached out and placed her hand on Provenza's upper arm to calm him. It was then Provenza noticed Sharon was trembling slightly. He immediately looked to her face to make sure she was okay.

"We appreciate all you've done for Major Crimes, Lieutenant," Sharon said politely. "I know keeping the body in place is not standard procedure but you've helped our investigation immensely. Our detectives would like to inspect the car with your forensic team. I look forward to attending the coroner's examination later today. Will you be there too?" Sharon had successfully distracted the on-site commander and redirected his attention away from the irritated Provenza who was clearly right about the machete.

"Yes, Captain. I'll be there right beside you."

"Thank you Lt. Cearley," Sharon said with a nod and turned to go to the tent where the victim's body was being inspected. "Lt. Provenza, would you stay with Buzz and Lt. Tao and let me know if anything unusual is found in the car? Or the trunk?"

Provenza nodded carefully and leaned in to speak to her.

"You alright, Captain? You're shaking."

"I'm fine, Lt. Provenza. Don't worry." Sharon patted Provenza's arm and headed into the tent. Tao gave Provenza a questioning look and got a "I don't know" shrug in return from the senior detective. Buzz was now filming the empty front seat and the bloody gap through the seat as Tao circled around the car with him.

"What have you found out?" Provenza asked Tao.

"It looks like the victim was murdered in the evening somewhere between 24 to 36 hours ago, the trunk is empty except for a spare tire and a jack, neat, clean no blood to the naked eye. This uber driver maintained a pretty clean car. No murder weapon so far but we're waiting for the local PD to finish the inspection. Oh, and the glove compartment has a can of mace in it, unused, so the vic wasn't taking any chances."

Provenza listened closely. "What about the console between the front seats?"

"No one's been inside the car but the medical examiner, Buzz will get it on video if you want to go with the Captain," Tao answered. "Hey is she okay, the Captain looks pretty pale."

"She's fine. Probably grossed out when Hren's guts splashed on the street and sprayed my shoes. Look at this crap," Provenza pointed to his feet. "I'm gonna find the captain first, and then get this shit of my shoes…and my damn pants. It stinks."

"Yes, it does," Tao smirked. Provenza squinted back.

"Where's Flynn?" Provenza asked.

"I saw him go in the tent before the Captain," Tao answered before turning back to Buzz.

Provenza picked up the pace and found Andy and Sharon standing closely, Andy's arm around Sharon's back. Provenza shook his head at his partner. Leave it to the notorious lady charmer to hit on his boss at a crime scene. Sharon was staring at the mobile computer screen where the electronics tech was searching the last messages listed on the cell phone.

A map on the left of the screen showed where the uber driver's cell phone pinged off a cell tower from the Silver Lake area of LA. The last call to the victim showed the incoming message pinged from a cell tower on top of a downtown LA building three miles from the court building where Stroh escaped.

"It's possible based on the location that Stroh used the uber app to connect with Hren," Andy noted. Sharon nodded. Provenza had no idea what uber was.

"Who's in Silver Lake?" Sharon asked.

"Michael Hren lived in Silver Lake," Detective Withers answered. "We believe Hren texted the Uber customer initially, got confirmation and then headed to downtown. At some point Hren called the customer for the pick-up address.

Sharon stared at the map listening to the detective. "So Hren called his customer?"

"Yeah, Hren called the customer number but the number belongs to a burner phone," Withers answered. "There's no way to know who made the call but we're working to trace the burner's seller. We're waiting to hear back from the distributor who told us the burner's number was assigned a couple years back."

"What' Uber?" Provenza interrupted. Andy turned and glared at Provenza.

"It's a like a taxi service only the drivers are not licensed taxi drivers. The app lets a person who needs a ride somewhere to post a request on Uber. Then people who are willing to drive absolute strangers respond, they meet and the customer pays the driver for the ride."

"Why don't people just call taxis instead?" Provenza asked.

"Because it's a lot cheaper than taxis and there's no dispatch to track customers," Andy explained before turning back to Detective Withers.

"So if the burner's number is from an older phone sold at least two years ago maybe three, it's not likely we'll be able to track the buyer especially if it was bought with cash," Andy surmised.

"But you can find out what store sold it?" Sharon asked Withers.

"We can." Withers answered.

"Good, we need to know where the phone was sold. If Stroh bought it, we can cross-reference his whereabouts for the past two years and check to see if he's bought anything else in that store if he used credit cards. It'll give us something to work with," Sharon stated.

Andy nodded and smiled at his Captain. The woman was sharp. "You ready to see the body, Sharon?" She nodded and moved away from Andy's arm. He followed her, keeping an eye on each new face that came into view. Provenza tapped Withers and pointed at his shoes seeking cleaning supplies. Withers smiled and led Provenza out of the tent.

* * *

The medical examiner, Jon Ko, was assessing the victim's posterior wound with an angry look on his face as he spoke with Lieutenant Cearley. The Lieutenant quickly introduced Sharon and Andy to Ko, who seemed surprised to see an LAPD team in Palm Springs. He pulled the victim by one shoulder to turn the body away and expose the dead man's backside.

"Captain, our victim here was immediately paralyzed by the killer," Ko said pointing to the very visible bones of the spine. "The victim was incapacitated but judging from the multiple stabbings across the back here, the killer took his time – see here where the lungs were punctured and lower organs pierced?"

Sharon's mind was reeling. The evidence showed depravity and intentional infliction of pain rather than just a simple quick kill. It definitely fit Stroh's MO.

"So the killer enjoyed killing this victim," Sharon said rather than asked.

"I'm afraid so, Captain Raydor," Ko answered. Lt. Cearley studied the Captain and Andy.

"You think it's your serial killer?" Lt. Cearley asked. He saw the Captain's face tighten and knew the answer before either answered him.

"Hard to know if it's our serial killer or not just yet," Andy said. "Could be your run-of-the-mill psychopath since these Uber drivers are easy targets. Alone in a car with an absolute stranger." Andy looked over at Sharon as he spoke. Her eyes looked a little glassy.

"We'll know more once your coroner determines what kind of knife was used," Sharon added. "We'll head over to the morgue after we've finished with the crime scene, Lieutenant Cearley. Thank you for cooperating with the LAPD and Major Crimes. If it _is _Phillip Stroh, I'll make sure you're updated on the case after we return to LA."

"Thank you, Captain. I'll get a full report to you before you leave Palm Springs," Cearley said quickly. "I'll find you at the station in a little while."

"Give us an hour or two?" Sharon suggested and Cearley nodded as the pair turned to leave. Sharon and Andy found Provenza back with the phone technician piecing together the victim's final day's timeline.

"Doesn't look like Hren was targeted," Provenza said as Sharon came to stand by him. "Poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Most likely," Sharon agreed. "But take a look at Hren's background and his roommate's just to be sure."

"What do you think, Sharon? Think its Stroh?" Andy asked her quietly. Provenza turned and waited for her answer.

"Nothing here rules out Stroh at the moment," Sharon said slowly. "Lieutenant Provenza, would you ask Lieutenant Tao to look into Stroh's clients and his victims, see if anyone of them are connected to Palm Springs."

"Yes, Captain," Provenza said. "I'll see if Sykes and Sanchez have finished their canvas of the neighborhood. When they have, I'm gonna send them to get everyone some coffee and sandwiches."

Sharon realized it well past 2 pm. "Good idea, Lieutenant." Sharon smiled tightly at the senior detective.

Andy mentally thanked his partner for looking out for the team. It was going to be a long day with another three-hour return drive after the coroner's examination in a couple hours.

"You want to tell me what you're really thinking?" Andy asked Sharon as the pair headed back to his car to await the rest of the team's findings.

Sharon shook her head. She had a sick feeling but couldn't confirm it yet that Stroh had killed the Uber driver Hren.

"My money's on Stroh," Andy prodded.

"What makes you so sure?" Sharon asked as Andy lifted the crime scene tape up for her to pass under.

"Three things, timing and location," Andy answered. "Then there's the way the Hren was killed. This wasn't a case of someone robbing a driver. This kill was horrific. Who else do we know who does that?"

Sharon nodded as Andy opened the car door for her. Sharon got in wordlessly and watched Andy walk around the front of the car to the driver's door.

"Andy, I think you're right," Sharon said once he got into the car. Andy looked at Sharon and noticed the way she pressed her lips together tightly. Andy reached over to her and put his hand on her forearm.

"We'll get him, Sharon."

Sharon looked over at Andy with a sad, worried look. "I hope you're right, Andy. I don't think I can take much more of this. Knowing Stroh is out there somewhere waiting…and Rusty refusing a protective detail…."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't you worry. I'll have a talk with Rusty when we get back. He needs to know how dangerous it is with Stroh on the loose. And if that doesn't work, I'll use guilt," Andy said kindly. "Rusty needs to know how much this is weighing on you. He loves you. He'll do it for you."

Sharon looked down at Andy's hand on her arm and sighed. The stress of Stroh coming after an unprotected Rusty had invaded her dreams for the past two days and she couldn't shake the fear she felt. Her eyes burned with unshed tears after hearing his concern for her. She refused to cry in front of him and turned her head away to look out the window.

Andy knew she was too choked up to speak. He could feel her arm's intermittent trembling under his hand. He wanted so badly to pull her into a hug and reassure her she and Rusty were safe but doing so at a crime scene would only add to her stress. Instead, Andy lifted his hand from her arm and stroked Sharon's hair lightly pulling it back a little so he could see some part of her face. The gentle gesture relaxed her briefly and she turn her head to look at him.

His brown eyes conveyed his unspoken tenderness and left her feeling safer.

"You think you can guilt Rusty into agreeing?" Sharon asked Andy with a small smile.

"If it doesn't work, I'll bribe him!" Andy said flippantly making Sharon laugh.

"That might actually work," Sharon said as she patted Andy's hand now resting on her shoulder. "Thank you for backing me up. Rusty want to live a normal life…"

"Rusty doesn't know what normal is but he will once we bust Stroh and put the bastard back in prison," Andy interjected. "I just hope its sooner than later or Rusty will be cashing my paychecks!" The crooked smile worked and Sharon laughed again.

"You're wonderful, Andy," Sharon said as she leaned over and placed a grateful peck on his cheek. "You have no idea how much you mean to me." Andy blushed as his heart swelled. Her words meant the world to him. _Sharon had feelings for him._

"I'm so glad we're such good friends," Sharon quickly added. Andy's heart dropped at the realization he was still in the friend zone. Andy smiled weakly and pulled his hand off of her shoulder.

"That's what friends do, they take care of each other," Andy said flatly trying to hide his disappointment.

"You're the first man I've ever …," Sharon paused. The look on Andy's face made her hesitate to finish the provocative sentence.

"..that you've ever what?" Andy encouraged.

"…ever trusted to be a close friend," Sharon said. "I've never had a man for a best friend before."

"Oh," Andy said. This clarification wasn't exactly what he'd hoped to hear.

"It's a first for me," Sharon said shyly. "Who'd have ever thought the hot-headed officer Andrew Flynn could be close friends with the Wicked Witch of FID."

Andy couldn't help but smile. It wasn't what he wanted to hear but he realized it was a break-through of sorts. Few mortals made it past Sharon Raydor's impermeable defenses. Her ex-husband Jack was partially to blame for that, the other responsible party was the LAPD's rancor of FID and anyone who worked in that department. Andy knew it was difficult for Sharon to share personal information since it was inevitably used against her. Even Andy had contributed to that, including the name Wicked Witch.

In her own way, Sharon was carefully telling Andy he meant something to her.

"Is it weird knowing your best friend has a major crush on you?" Andy asked her directly.

"Crushes don't last, Andy. But friendship does."

"Yeah, how long is the standard crush, would you say?"

"Maybe three or four months?" Sharon was glad for the distraction. Provenza and the rest of the team were huddled by the crime tent for several minutes in deep discussion.

"So what do you call a two-year crush?" Andy said with his eyebrows raised. He wanted her to know this wasn't a recent occurrence.

Sharon swallowed and looked at Andy for several seconds unsure how to answer his question.

"What would your partner call it?" Sharon deflected.

"Insanity," Andy smirked. "But then again, he's had marriages that haven't lasted as long."

Sharon's lip curled into a micro smile. Provenza was now headed to their car with the rest of the detectives trailing behind. She exited the car and closed the door leaving Andy to follow suit. Andy sighed deeply and decided he was going to make sure Provenza got a ride back with someone else. He needed time alone with Sharon without any possibility of interruptions and a three-hour drive back home was the perfect opportunity.

Sharon was now leaning against the car checking her cellphone. He could see her shoulders stiffen. It was either Taylor or more bad news. Andy got out of his car and sidled up to her sneaking a look at her phone screen. He saw the text was from Rusty.

"_Is it Stroh?" _

Sharon knew there was no good answer to that and hesitated before texting back. "_Unconfirmed. Waiting on coroner report."_

Rusty immediately responded to Sharon's surprise_. "When is that?"_

"_Probably 3-4 pm. You ok?"_

"_Yes. Wish it was Stroh's body in the car." _Rusty texted.

Sharon smiled at his message. _"Me too. Got to go."_ Sharon pocketed her cell phone and waited for Provenza to begin the briefing. Andy was.

"You smiled, so that wasn't Taylor who texted you?"

Sharon glanced at Andy and shook her head. "Rusty. He's worried its Stroh."

"Of course, what'd you tell him?" Andy was leaning against his car quite close to Sharon.

"That we don't know yet," Sharon sighed.

"He's safe, Sharon and that's all he needs to know… wait, never mind, don't tell him that. He doesn't know about the detail." Andy realized. Sharon nodded.

"I really can't tell you how relieved that makes me. I owe you, Andy." Sharon said softly.

Andy smiled the kind of smile that drove his partner nuts when it came to the Captain.

"Flynn!" Provenza yelped as he came up to the Captain. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Working! Same as you," Andy retorted.

"Doesn't look like it," Provenza sneered and shot a glare at his partner and then at Sharon.

"What have you found out?" Sharon stood with her arms folded across her chest. Provenza immediately redirected his attention to his boss and began reporting on the collected findings. Sykes and Tao were listening intently as Sanchez continued scanning the dwindling bystanders. Buzz started the camera and videotaped Provenza's briefing.

Andy listened intently while watching Sharon's face out of the corner of his eye.

He could see the disappointment as Provenza went through his notes. No witnesses. No clear timing of when the murder was committed. The delay in discovering the victim had made body temperature irrelevant.

"So what we do know is who ever killed our victim was a practiced killer." Provenza concluded.

"And how did you arrive at that decision?" Andy asked his partner.

"Because no one is that lucky," Sharon answered for Provenza.

"So we don't know for sure if it is Stroh," Tao added. "What we do know is he can't be ruled out yet."

Sykes stepped forward. "Lets hope the coroner gives us something definitive."

"Exactly," Sharon said appreciatively. Sykes smiled happily at Sharon's comment. Sanchez grinned at Provenza's eye roll and remained stoically silent.

"What do we do now," Tao asked. "I'd like to follow up on the burner phone records and Stroh's credit cards crosscheck."

Sharon hummed to herself realizing there was no need for the team to stick around waiting for the coroner to release his findings.

" Lieutenant Tao, you and Buzz can head back. Detectives Sykes and Sanchez, please go through Buzz's video and see if you can find anything we might have missed. Check Stroh's history, if there's ever been a similar cases with driver stabbings through the seats, what weapons were used, taxi drivers, uber drivers to start with."

"What about you Captain?" Sykes asked. Provenza couldn't help but grumble.

"I'm meeting with Lt. Cearley and the coroner at the morgue in the next hour or so. I'll call Taylor and give him a status update as well."

"Captain, do you want them back in the office tonight or let them go home?" Provenza asked. Sharon could see the team looked tired.

"Go home and get a good night's sleep and we'll get on this first thing in the morning," Sharon announced. Not a single detective looked unhappy. It was the right call. Everyone was feeling edgy not knowing whether Stroh had struck again for certain. "I'll text you all with the coroner's findings once we know something."

"Thanks, Captain!" Tao replied. "If anything shows up on the burner, I'll let you know ASAP."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sharon waved him off. Provenza was walking quickly after Tao.

"Lt. Provenza?" Sharon called out. "Where are you going?"

"I thought you told us we could go home," Provenza said defensively.

"But you're riding with us," Sharon said with a confused expression.

"If it's alright with you, Captain I'll catch a ride with Tao and Buzz."

"You sure?"

"What and stay late with you? Who knows how slow the coroner is in these po-dunk towns." Provenza grumbled. "See you in the morning, Captain!"

Sharon turned to Andy with a frown. Andy was smiling from ear to ear. Then it hit her. She and Andy would be driving back alone. That would certainly stoke the rumor mill.

"Did you…" Sharon asked Andy suspiciously.

"What?" Andy asked innocently. "You know Louie, always ready to go home early." Sharon shot Andy a look that said she didn't believe him. Andy immediately dropped the smile and changed the subject.

"We never got those sandwiches did we," Andy said tapping his growling stomach. "We've got at least another hour before heading to the morgue. Lets get something to eat while we have a chance. It's been a long time since those donuts this morning." Sharon suddenly remembered how Andy wiped the sprinkle off her lip that morning.

"Lets see what Palm Springs has to offer," Andy said as he started up the car. Sharon flashed a fake closed lip smile at him and nodded silently. Any distraction was welcomed while she worried about the possibility of Stroh murdering their victim. In her gut she already knew Stroh had killed Michael Hren and it was likely to be the first of several victims in the next few days.

The day was far from over and if the autopsy confirmed what she suspected, it was going to be a long tough night.

* * *

_**I promise things are going to get very Shandy in the next chapter. Stay tuned as Andy takes matters into his own hands again. Uh oh! Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to leave a review or a comment. They're very helpful and motivating!**_


	8. Ch 8 - Proof

_**The final chapter. It ends as promised. Thanks for reading and please let me know if you felt this stayed true to the characters. Reviews are love! Thank you again for sticking with this story to the end.**_

* * *

**Ch.8 - Proof.**

Andy watched Sharon pacing up and down the long hallway outside the office of the Palm Springs morgue. The coroner was just on the other side of the hall wall working on the body of Michael Hern. The corpse was being carefully scrutinized, organs weighed, injuries measured, flesh tears photographed. Sharon finally gave up pacing and finally took a seat beside Andy.

"What's taking so damn long?" Andy muttered. Sharon hummed and checked her watch. It was 5:30 pm.

Lt. Cearley watched the LAPD detectives and couldn't help feeling a little intimidated by the two LA detectives. He shrugged and sheepishly apologized. "I'm sorry for the wait. Dr. Zaytoun is very thorough."

"No kiddin?" Andy said sarcastically. "All we need to know is what kind of weapon was used to kill our vic. Can you let her know?"

"Lieutenant Flynn is right," Sharon said firmly. "We really do need to get back to LA with this evidence. The longer we're here, the greater the chance the killer may strike again."

"You mean your serial killer?" Cearley asked.

"_If_ it is Stroh," Sharon said coolly. Cearley got her message and then got up immediately. He entered the morgue's outer office door without a glance backward. Four minutes later Cearley reappeared and motioned for them to follow him.

Sharon and Andy were instructed to suit up in paper gowns and foot covers before entering the exam room. Inside the small room, the naked body of Michael Hern lay half covered as Dr. Zaytoun stood nearby jotting notes on a legal pad. The elderly coroner glanced up, introduced herself hurriedly and then launched into describing her findings.

"The victim's spine was severed initially which would explain the lack of defensive wounds. There are traces of anti-depressants and traces of alcohol in the victim's blood. The victim was not drunk but he obviously had at least one drink in his system. Given the time it takes to drive from LA to Palm Springs, the victim most likely drank just before picking up his killer. I can find no other injuries to the body beside the obvious wounds to his back and internal organs. The killer stabbed the victim multiple times based on the incisions to the lungs, pancreas, liver and intestines." Zaytoun stated mechanically.

Sharon waited for the doctor to pause before pouncing at the chance to ask the key question. "Please Dr. Zaytoun, can we skip ahead to what _type_ of weapon killed Michael Hren?"

Dr. Zaytoun returned her gaze to Sharon. "Of course, Captain. The killer used a hunting knife, a large one with a long, smooth, curved blade on the first half of the blade, the back half of the blade was serrated."

"So not a machete, huh?" Lieutenant Cearley asked without thinking.

"No, Lieutenant, the weapon was a hunting knife, as I _just_ said," Dr. Zaytoun said frostily.

Andy didn't know whether to be happy or not. In his book, this news proved Stroh was the killer. The description of the knife matched the one recovered from Stroh's home, hidden in a long duffle bag along with rope, rolls of duct tape, zip ties, a shovel, gloves and a dark hat - your run of the mill, standard do-it-yourself-murderer kit.

"Did you find _any_ other DNA on the body other than the victim's?" Andy pressed.

"Not on the victim. However PSPD collected lots of DNA judging by the multiple hairs found in the examiner's vac. Blond hairs, some red, a few brown – a lot of different lengths. It appears a lof of people have been in that car." Zaytoun asked.

"That's to be expected, Dr. Hren was an uber driver so there's no telling how many people he drove," Sharon answered. "We need you to run DNA tests on any short straight hair. Its possible our killer may have dyed his hair so please focus your tests on all human hairs shorter than 3 inches."

"Captain, our victim's car was practically pristine. His trunk was neat as a pin, there wasn't any trash anywhere in the car so Hren obviously cleaned his car recently. Those hair have to belong to recent passengers, maybe friends or his roommate."

"Good point, Andy. Could you notify Tao to work with Uber. We need to know who rode in Michael Hren's car an locate them." Sharon turned back to face the corner. "Doctor, if the DNA on one of those hairs found in the car matches our serial killer, PSPD can close this case immediately. So the faster you run the DNA the faster we can ….." Sharon urged.

"I hear you, Captain." Dr Zaytoun interrupted. I can assure you PSPD isn't wasting time waiting on DNA. We may not be LA, but this isn't our first murder victim," Zaytoun said defensively. "DNA tests takes time so as soon as I get the results I'll be sure to send it to your office right away. In the meantime, I suggest you return to LA."

"Yesss, we'll do that, Doctor," Sharon replied with practiced cool. "Thank you for your assistance."

* * *

"Well, at least we have confirmation on the weapon, that's something at least," Andy said soothingly as they exited the building and started across the parking lot to his car. Sharon nodded.

"Yes, that's true. And now I have to let Rusty know. I promised I would tell him as soon as we found out. Do you think …." Sharon paused. She turned and looked at Andy. Her worried expression stopped Andy in his tracks.

"What?"

"We _both_ know Stroh did this. And Rusty is, right now, all….alone," Sharon fumbled. "Do you think if I call…"

Andy pulled out his cellphone and raised his hand to stop her. "I know what you're thinking. Hold on." Andy hit the speed dial and was connected with Provenza in a few seconds. Sharon listened to Andy's conversation trying to figure out what he was doing.

"Louie… yeah we're still in Palm Springs. …uh huh. It looks like Stroh killed Michael Hren…Yeah, a hunting knife… not a machete like you said….yeah…uh listen, the reason I'm calling is Rusty's expecting Sharon to call him about the murder but he really shouldn't hear this while he's all alone, so…. Really?...Aww, that's great, man. Thanks, Louie….um, at least three hours? Yeah. Okay. See you then."

Andy looked at Sharon with a big smile as he stuffed his cellphone into his breast pocket. "Lou's on his way over to your place to stay with Rusty until you get back."

"Thank you, Andy. I really appreciate it." Sharon's eyes shone with gratitude, for a brief few seconds, all traces of worry disappeared from her face. "You are just…" Before she could finish the sentence she found herself hugging Andy wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. "…wonderful!"

Andy was pleasantly surprised by Sharon's rare, sudden show of emotion and quickly hugged her back. "Anything for you, Sharon." Andy said softly as he nuzzled his cheek against her hair and breathed in her scent. They held each other for several seconds until she pulled back nervously.

"Well, we'd better get back as fast as we can and relieve Lieutenant Provenza," Sharon murmured as she turned to finish the short walk to Andy's car.

"Right," Andy nodded. The thought of Sharon surprising herself made him chuckle. Sharon stared at her cellphone as she texted the news to the Major Crimes detectives. Andy open her car door and Sharon got in wordlessly, her eyes glued to her phone's screen as she continued texting.

By the time Andy got in, Sharon had put her cellphone away and was looking straight ahead. No doubt she was contemplating what had just happened between them. Andy smiled to himself. Sharon looked calm on the surface but her fidgeting hands gave her away.

"It's a long drive back and I could use some coffee before we leave Palm Springs," Andy announced. "Are you hungry?"

Sharon realized she was actually. The thought of the upcoming autopsy had ruined her appetite when they stopped for a bite before heading to the morgue.

"A little. I probably should eat something," Sharon confessed. "I hate the thought of fast food but I really want to get home to Rusty as soon as possible."

"Sharon, Rusty's safe and he knows you're on your way home. I'm sure the two of them are on the couch watching TV right now - probably eating pizza if I know _your_ son," Andy assured her. "Do they even have fast food in Palm Springs? I haven't seen a Taco Bell or a pair of golden arches anywhere. Have you?"

"No, thank goodness," Sharon admitted.

"Look, lets just find a decent place to sit down and relax a little before heading back. Okay?" Andy was jonesing for some good Italian pasta. "You like Italian, right?" _He realized the double meaning in his innocent question._

"I do. That sounds really good at the moment," Sharon agreed. Andy took that as a good sign on both counts.

* * *

Andy sat across the small table from Sharon studying her as she read through the menu. He already knew what he wanted, and there it was, seated directly across the table in a fine suit with over a silky blouse. Sharon felt his eyes on her and looked up to find him staring with that crooked smile of his.

"Yessss?" Sharon asked slowly.

"That was _some _hug," Andy reminded her. "I guess we're even."

"Even?"

"Yeah, you hugged me, I kissed you…you know, before."

"Not by a long shot, Lieutenant," Sharon raised an eyebrow and closed her menu.

"Oh, so it's lieutenant, now?" Andy grinned. "I see. No more Mr. Wonderful, huh?"

"I don't recall calling you Mr. Wonderful," Sharon reminded him.

"Oh yeah? You don't remember a certain Captain hugging me and telling me I was 'just wonderful.'" Andy gestured with air quotes to punctuate his point. He could see she was trying to suppress a closed smile. His teasing seemed to relax her a little, and more importantly, distract her from thinking about Stroh.

"You have your moments, Andy," Sharon conceded. "If someone had told me back when I was in Internal Affairs that years from now Detective Andy Flynn would become my closest friend I never would have believed it."

"Me neither," Andy agreed. "Who knew under that beautiful but frosty exterior, the Wicked Witch was just a sweet, kind lovable, little thing." Sharon froze. Her mouth dropped open at his choice of words. She felt her face flushing.

"Where is that waitress?" Sharon asked suddenly trying to change the topic. First of all, she wasn't a little thing. Second, being described as loveable was definitely a first for her. Andy found her _loveable? When did this happen?_

Andy realized his words had unnerved her but before he could say anything their waitress appeared at their table killing the opportunity to clarify his meaning. Once they'd placed their orders, the two detectives were quiet. Sharon sipped from her tall glass of water and glanced around the restaurant avoiding his eyes. He took the opportunity to watch her closely. His eyes fell to the first button of her blouse and noticed the fine line of cleavage peeking back at him. She turned back a little sooner than expected and caught him looking at her chest. She raised an eyebrow and stared at him. Andy knew he was caught but he didn't care and said so in the way he looked directly into her eyes.

"What?" Andy said innocently. He covered his smile by raising his glass of water to drink. Sharon checked her watch. The silence between them was comfortable despite the flirtatious incident. Both were tired and somewhat mentally drained by the stress of case and its lack of closure. Their meals arrived soon enough and once they settled in, neither was particularly chatty. It seemed Sharon was deep in thought as she pushed around her ravioli. "Stop playing with your food, young lady," Andy admonished. "We're not leaving until you've finished your dinner."

"You sound just like my mother," Sharon smiled.

"Well, there are starving detectives all over the world," Andy gestured at her plate. "Don't make me come over there."

"Ok, ok," Sharon joked as she put one hand up defensively. Eventually Sharon ate half of her ravioli leaving several stranded on her plate.

"Would you rather have some of mine?" Andy pointed at his plate. "If yours is no good…"

"No, it's fine really." Sharon smiled weakly. "Would you like to try it?" Sharon pierced a ravioli and lifted her fork to pass it to Andy who leaned forward instead and opened his mouth. Sharon felt a sudden shiver as his lips slid off her fork. Andy moaned happily as he chewed the tender pasta. Sharon blushed at the sensuousness of the moment, and the realization she hadn't fed a man this way in years! Andy smiled at her as if he had read her thoughts.

"Wow," He murmured. He wasn't complimenting the pasta. The comment uttered came in response to the look of surprise on Sharon's face at his actions. Andy loved the look of uncertainty he had seen as she place her fork inti his mouth. Was she blushing? He couldn't help but grin.

* * *

They were back in his car and headed back to Los Angeles by 8 o'clock. Sharon had insisted on driving her fair share of the trip and Andy knew there would be no winning that argument. He knew she wanted to get back as fast as possible and he'd knew he'd get to tease her when she'd inevitably start speeding. The night was clear, dark and cool.

Early on, Andy reclined his seat, pulled his cell phone out, checked a few messages and quietly studied his boss as she drove the car home. Sharon's long hair was swept back from her face, her chin tucked down a little as she stared ahead. The dashboard lights casted a faint glow on her profile allowing Andy to see she was chewing on her bottom lip. He decided to break the silence of the past twenty-five minutes.

"It's killing me," Andy said suddenly.

Sharon never turned her head. "What?"

"That question you're supposed to ask me. It's like the damn sword of Damocles. Just hanging over my head!" His voice conveyed the smile on his face. He wanted to keep her mind on lighter topics.

Sharon smiled to herself. "You just want to get it out of the way so you can ask _me_ a personal question that I have to answer."

"Am I that obvious?" Andy chuckled. Sharon turned and glanced at him for a second with a soft smile on her face. "Fine. Don't answer that."

"Actually, I've been toying between two questions and I haven't yet made up my mind which to ask you," Sharon admitted.

"You could ask both, but if you do, then I get to ask you two questions too." Andy offered. Sharon shook her head.

"Oh no you don't!" Sharon said with a laugh. "I'm not falling for that one!"

"So what you're saying is you've got something to hide, huh?"

"Possibly." Sharon hinted.

"Oooh, what could Sharon Raydor possibly have to hide?" Andy murmured out loud as he rubbed his hands together fiendishly in mock-sinister mode.

"I'll never tell," Sharon joked.

"I'm a detective, Sharon. You know I'll get it out of you before we get home!" Andy challenged her. Sharon looked over at him with a sly smile on her face he could just barely make out. "You start. Two questions each."

"I don't recall agreeing to that," Sharon reminded him.

"Yeah well, it's a long drive, so humor me. What have you got to _hide_?" Andy was clearly enjoying this conversation.

Sharon hummed. "Alright. Give me a moment." Sharon continued driving while formulating a question in her mind. "One more caveat, though. You must answer the question immediately got it? Sound fair?" Sharon asked as she took a fast look over at Andy. He was frowning and smiling at the same time.

"Deal."

Sharon watched the road for a few seconds, swallowed and then posed the question, "When I worked in IA, you made it very clear you couldn't stand the sight of me. What did I do to make you feel that way?"

Andy froze. That question was very different from what he had expected from her. He'd gambled she would probe the cause of his alcoholism and his sobriety. He knew he had to answer quickly.

"Sharon, I apologize. The truth is you didn't do anything wrong. I acted that way because I was pissed – because you were usually right and I was usually wrong in most of our run-ins." Andy paused. "I tried to charm my way out of trouble, but it never worked on you. You saw right through my BS. You called me on my crap and you saw me at my worst. It was …embarrassing."

Sharon felt herself sigh with relief. "Andy, I was just doing my job. You shouldn't feel emb…."

"It _was_ embarrassing because you were so, you know…smart, you had class…tough, and um, hot." Andy grimaced knowing he was revealing a lot to her. "I thought if I cleaned up my act, maybe, you know I'd have a chance but when I found out you were married..." Andy inhaled deeply. "So - like an idiot - I took it out on you. I convinced myself if you were a cold, unfeeling bitch, I'd be better off."

Sharon forced herself to maintain her poker face as she drove. Her heart was beating hard and fast. He'd been attracted to her for years? All this time she thought he had been hateful because of her role in Internal Affairs.

"Well, now you know." Andy was thankful for the darkness in the car preventing her from seeing how red his face had turned. It was really an ideal setting to have this discussion, Andy thought. At least she couldn't run away from the conversation. He waited for her to respond, letting the silence grow between them.

"You're not going to say anything?" Andy finally asked. Sharon glanced over and quickly returned to staring at the road.

"I need a minute."

"Well, now you know," Andy said. "Pretty obvious when you think about it."

"You mean like how little boys pick on little girls they like?" Sharon said lightly. She knew he was feeling emotionally naked. This was dangerous territory for a conversation between a boss and her subordinate.

"Yeah, exactly," Andy admitted. "What took you so long?"

"I was a married woman, Andy!"

"And you're not now. So….."

"So, now we work together and I'm your boss," Sharon said quickly. She did not want to be having this conversation. _How the hell had this happen?_ She needed time to process what this all meant, the ramifications, her own feelings, so many considerations.

"I know. I can't catch a break where you're concerned!" Andy sounded relieved some how. "Now it's my turn to ask a question. Ready? Here we go." Andy warned before drawing a deep breath. "Sharon, have you ever thought about us being more than just friends?"

Sharon nervously jerked the wheel but instantly corrected the car. Andy grinned at her rare loss of composure. The air felt charged. She gulped as a look of guilt flashed across her features.

"Answer now, no hedging," Andy was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her face studying her for any clue to the truth. Had he seen her micro expression? Her face was hot and she knew she was blushing wildly.

"Ok, ok. Um …sort of."

"What the hell kind of answer is that?" Andy sounded annoyed.

"It was….God, this is embarrassing… a dream about you," Sharon said rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe she was telling him about it.

"Ohhhhh," Andy immediately softened. He was definitely interested in this new turn in the conversation. "What, like a sex dream?"

"Andy!" Sharon snapped.

"It was, wasn't it," Andy said. Sharon could hear the smile in his voice, obviously thrilled and enjoying her embarrassment. "What did we do?"

"It. Was. Not. A. Sex. Dream!" Sharon sputtered. Andy laughed.

"I had a few of those about you too, you know," Andy chuckled. "I mean _back then_."

"Nooooo!" Sharon refused to hear it. She didn't want to know what he dreamed or what she did in those dreams. Her arms felt light as air. She clung to the steering wheel.

"Then tell me every juicy detail and don't skip a thing. Boy, this has turned out to be the best car ride _ever_," Andy was giggling. Sharon couldn't help but smile at his enjoyment at her expense.

"Ok… in the dream I was asleep in my bed…."

"I like where this is going. What were you wearing?" Andy wiggled his eyebrows at her. She didn't notice.

"An old nightgown. A long, flannel, _boring,_ beige night gown," Sharon said wryly. "Jack was asleep next to me in the dream…."

"Uh oh. Jack's there too? I never thought you were the _kinky _type!" Andy said with a fake frown. Sharon shot him a sarcastic glare.

"Anyway, um… I reached over to put my arm around Jack but when he rolled back to face me…it wasn't Jack lying there. It was you."

Andy's eyebrows shot up. "Oh realllly? And?"

"And what? That's it. I woke up in a panic and realized it was just a dream - but it bothered me for a long time," Sharon pressed her lips together tightly. Andy squinted at her.

"So me being in your bed was like a nightmare? Is that what you're saying? You wounded my ego deeply, woman!" Andy teased. Sharon knew he was trying to ease her obvious embarrassment. "That was it? No sexy stuff? Man, you Catholics have some boring sex dreams, Sharon. I gotta say."

"Andy, it w_asn't_ a sex dream! I realized I wanted Jack to be like you," Sharon panicked immediately at her own words. "I mean sober, not an alcoholic any more." Sharon sighed heavily. She hoped Andy understood her meaning.

"Oh." Andy was silent for a while. "Hmmm, you know...I _almost_ believe you."

Sharon's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Oh I get the part about wanting Jack to be sober, like me, but…." Andy had fully turned in his seat and angled his body at her. He paused to cross his ankles leaving her hanging on his every word. "…you knew he wasn't going to change. But finding me in your bed – I dunno, that's got some serious symbolism we should explore further." Andy was enjoying this mild torture. It was a rare opportunity to see Sharon struggling to maintain her poise without an easy escape route out.

Sharon gripped the steering wheel tighter to hide her hands shaking. "Maybe. But that dream was a long time ago." He didn't need to know it was a reoccurring dream she had, of Andy in her bed. The most recent dream being just after their accidental movie date with Rusty and Provenza. What_ he_ didn't know wouldn't embarrass _her_.

"Uh huh," Andy sounded smug. "Sure. Mind if we stop? I want to get something to drink. Oh and that was not my second question, just to be clear."

"Fine." Sharon said forcing herself to sound calm as she flicked on her signal and looked over her shoulder to merge into the right lane. Her eyes swept across Andy's face and she felt a tingling sensation in her lips as she saw his huge grin. He caught her glance and chuckled. She couldn't wait to get out of the car.

They pulled into a large brightly light gas station and parked in front of the convenience store. Sharon was out of the car in a flash, leaving the keys in the ignition. Andy chuckled. She was so cute when she was embarrassed. It felt good to know he had that kind of effect on her for a change. Sharon yanked the store's door open and headed straight for the bathroom. Once inside she locked the door, turned on the cold water and yanked a paper towel to soak and apply against her forehead.

One look in the mirror was all she needed to see. She was afraid. Things were changing between them and it would have to stop. _Just tell him that was all in the past. Before we became friends. He'll get the message._ Sharon dried her hands_. Don't let him know anything more!_

Andy was paying for two drinks, a bottled ice tea for himself and a cup of hot water and an unopened tea bag sitting on the cup's lid. He nodded at her as she came into view. She nodded back. She felt back in control and it showed.

"Thanks," Sharon said as he handed the tea and cup to her. She left his side to attend to her cup and steep the bag. "Ready?"

"When you are," Andy answered. She turned and he followed her out to the car.

"I'm still driving," Sharon said over her shoulder.

"Then you're gonna need these," Andy answered with a smirk. She heard the keys jingling and rolled her eyes. Had she actually forgotten to take them out of the ignition? She knew his little chuckle was at her expense - that he had rattled her and she mentally kicked herself for it. Turning, she snatched the keys from his hand and strode to the driver's door without looking at him.

Once inside the car, Sharon settled her hot cup into the center console and turned to push the keys into the ignition. Reaching for her seat belt, she turned to find Andy had leaned over and was now just inches from her face. His hands pulled her shoulders toward him as his warm lips covered hers. She gasped into his mouth and tried to lean back but he held her close. She felt his tongue tracing her lower lip and softly sucking her upper lip into his mouth. It was wonderfully terrifyingly exciting.

She struggled to speak but eventually gave in to the amazing sensation. His left arm slid down her back and tightened around her waist pressing her body against his chest. His right hand slid up and held the back of her neck. She could feel him smiling in his kiss.

"Andy!" Sharon gasped as he released her and looked into her eyes. The man was one hell of a kisser and she knew he knew she had enjoyed it.

"Sharon," Andy answered. Suddenly Sharon pushed away, jerked open the car door and walked away across the parking lot, both her hands on her forehead. Andy was surprised. This was not the reaction he had been hoping for. "Sharon, wait!" He jumped out of the car and raced after her.

Sharon held one finger up at him in warning. Andy stopped moving instantly. She paced back and forth.

"Don't! Just don't!" Sharon warned. Andy couldn't stand seeing her upset, he reached out and pulled her close to him. He held her tightly and wouldn't let go as she tried to push him away.

"Stop it, Sharon." Andy said softly. "It's okay."

"Why would you do that, Andy!" Sharon hissed. "It's not okay!" Andy held her close and she stopped struggling. Her voice sounded choked with emotion. "It's not okay," she repeated softly.

"Sshhhh," Andy hushed her, his breath warm against her hair. She relaxed a little and he continued to hold her tightly. "Don't worry. We're fine."

"Are we?" Sharon's voice was muffled against his shoulder. She could feel his hand now stroking her hair. It somehow relaxed her more. "What are we doing?"

"We're falling for each other," Andy whispered. Sharon pulled back enough to look him in the eye.

"I know." She said finally. "What do we do now?"

Andy felt his heart beating loudly. He loved having her turn to him for answers. "We let it happen." Andy said softly as he slowly leaned in to kiss her again. This time she stood perfectly still, her face tilted toward his waiting for him to kiss her. Andy could feel her mouth trembling. Sharon realized she was breaking _a lot_ of rules. And for once, she didn't care.

Andy's kiss was slow, soft and loving. Sharon felt herself giving in. She hadn't experienced this kind of loving attention in so long. It surprised her how good it felt to be held by a man, to be kissed with care, to be desired. Her arms tightened around his waist. When had she put her hands on his body? She wondered.

"This is scary," Sharon breathed against his cheek.

"I know," Andy answered. She felt his cheek pull into a smile. "I haven't been on a date in over two years, so I'm a little out of practice…."

Sharon smiled to herself. The man had nothing to worry about when it came to kissing. "Two years? You? Why?" She sounded surprised.

"I dunno, I guess nobody else interested me once we started working together," Andy murmured as he pulled back to look into her beautiful green eyes. "Seeing you everyday, well…what can I say, I fell for you."

"Andy?" Sharon couldn't believe her ears. "I want to believe you but I'm…."

"You think I'm lying?" Andy was hurt. His arms released the hold on her.

"No, its not that…I just …I have good reason to have trust issues when it comes to men," Sharon said as he slid out of her arms.

"Why would you even think I'd lie to you? I'm in love with you, Goddamn it!" Andy raised his voice. He looked angry. This woman was going to drive him crazy.

The words stung. "You what?" Sharon's mouth hung open. This changed everything. She hadn't seen this coming.

"You heard me! I love you!" Andy folded his arms across his chest and stared at her. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes, _it_ is." Sharon now folded her arms across her chest. Her body language read the same classic defensive mode as his. Andy stared at her. His arms gently unfolded as he took a step toward her.

"Sharon Raydor, you right, you have plenty of reasons to doubt men but I'm _not_ Jack."

Sharon knew he was right. She looked and felt guilty. Still she needed more than that to trust him.

"Why me?" Sharon needed to know she wasn't going to be just another notch on the detective squad's resident ladykiller's belt.

"You _seriously_ don't know?" Andy placed his hands gently on her upper arms feeling her tightened her arms across her chest as if she could protect her heart from being hurt.

"Fine. That's your second question, Sharon, so here's the truth. Every time you come into a room it's all I can do not to stare at you. Not smile like an idiot at you. Getting to know you and how kind and sweet you are…I don't know, hell I've never met anybody as good as you, Sharon Raydor." Andy reached up and played with a lock of her hair resting on her collar bone. She couldn't unfold her arms just yet. Andy looked directly into her eyes.

"When I think of what that asshole husband of yours put you through I wanted to pound his face into the sidewalk. And that's when I knew I loved you." Sharon felt her pulse racing at his words. She tried to hide her gasp but he continued on.

"When Provenza told me you were getting a divorce I really thought it was because you felt something for me too," Andy paused took a big breath and continued. "It hurt like hell when I realize the divorce had _nothing_ to do with me. It made me realize there was so much more going on in your life outside of the office, with Rusty, and Stroh and ...Jack, how badly he had treated you, and how me and every other cop in LAPD treated you… That's when I knew you needed a friend more than anything else and I wanted to be that friend. I wanted to make things better for you, maybe I felt guilty at first because of how I use to treat you but I wanted you to finally get a break, you know? … I wanted you to open up and relax and hear all your secrets... That plus the fact you're smoking hot well, that just too good to ignore. I mean your legs are legendary in the department. And these beautiful green eyes? The way you walk, how you hum, I could go on about your bo..…there. Does that explain it?

Sharon was smiling at him. His rambling confession had warmed her heart. He did care for her. Andy loved her. It scared her as much as it thrilled her. Sharon placed her hands around his neck and pulled him closer. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him and felt his hands slide around her back pressing them together.

"It explains everything," Sharon finally whispered into his mouth. They were both smiling at one another.

"Maybe one day soon, when you roll over in bed you'll find me there too," Andy taunted her.

"One day," Sharon smiled. "This is all so new again, so foreign but if you're willing to be patient with me. Go slow for now…"

"Anything for you, Sharon." He reassured her.

"We better get back to the car."

"Yeah okay," Andy agreed. He reached for her hand and they walked to the car together. "Better let me drive, okay? You're a little shaky." He pointed to her hand in his.

"You sure it's not you who's shaking?" Sharon teased.

"Give me back my keys," Andy asked as he walked her to the passenger's door.

"Don't think you're going to get away with anything, that hasn't changed!" Sharon said wryly as her eyebrow arched at his gleeful face.

"We'll see!" Andy said as he closed the door and walked around the back of the vehicle. Once inside, he turned the ignition, backed out of the parking space and reached for her hand. Holding it in his, he threaded his fingers between hers, lifted it to his lips and kissed her hand. "Now lets get you home to Rusty right away."

He leaned over and she met him over the console. Their lips shyly responding to one another in the breathtaking excitement of realizing long withheld feelings. Andy looked at her with such a happy expression that Sharon felt she had to tell him.

"I love you, too, Andy."

"Oh thank god! I thought you'd never say it!" Andy laughed. They exchanged knowing looks and smiled. This had certainly been a life-changing day and it wasn't over yet.

-END-

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed the story. For me, waiting to see how the show brings these two characters together and getting past all their baggage, department rules and office propriety will be one of the best parts of the show as well as extremely challenging. Getting Sharon to recognize her own foreign romantic feelings and a return to feeling passion for any man will be exciting. Lets hope Andy doesn't mess it up. Feel free to write your thoughts. Reviews make it all worth while. And thank you for reading! **_


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